American Breweries of the Past

Beer Is Perhaps The Oldest And Most Popular Alcoholic Beverage And The Brewing Process Has Evolved Into One Of The Largest Industries On An International Scale. The Word "Beer" Is Derived From The Latin Word "Biber" Meaning, "To Drink" Sometime Between The 6Th And 7Th Centuries A.D. Brewing Developed Almost Simultaneously Around The World; The Only Difference Being Ingredients Used From Crops Indigenous To Particular Regions. The Earliest Known Brewing Techniques, Developed Over Six Thousand Years Ago In Sumer In The Middle East And In Ancient Egypt, Involved Soaking Bread In Water And Allowing Wild Yeasts To Ferment The Liquid Into Beer. "Sikaru", As It Was Known, Involved The Moistening And Geminating Of Cereal Seeds Including Emmer Wheat And Barley. The Seeds Were Then Ground Into Flour And Baked In Small Cakes, Which Were Then Crumbled Into Large Earthenware Pots Of Water And Allowed To Ferment For Several Days. Dates And Honey Were Used As Flavoring Agents. The Aegeans Obtained The Recipe From The Egyptians And Brewing Spread To Greece, Italy And Other Mediterranean Areas. The Ancient Chinese, Japanese, Indians, Africans, Latin Americans And Britons Also Brewed As Well.Bavarian Monks Developed Lagerbeer In The 600S A.D. The Word "Lager" Comes From The German Word "Lagern" Meaning, "To Store". The Monks Would Store The Beer They Produced In Cool Cellars, Which Caused Some Yeasts To Charge Character. At Lower Temperatures, The Yeast Sank To The Bottom Of Fermentation Vessels And Fermented Much More Slowly. As A Result, Lager Could Be Stored For Much Longer Periods And Mellowed Over Time. Reinheitsgebot, The German Purity Law Enacted In 1516 By Wilhelm Iv Of Bavaria, States That Only Malted Grain, Hops, Yeast And Water Be Used In The Brewing Process. This Ensures That No Added Sugars Or Adjuncts Are Used And Applies To All German Beer. Maximilian I Of Bavaria Decrees In 1533 That Anyone Wishing To Brew Beer Between April 23Rd And September 29Th Has To...