Beer is broadly defined as a fermented malt beverage. The word beer comes from the Latin word ‘bibere’ meaning ‘to drink’. The Greek goddess of agriculture, Ceres, is the root of the Spanish word for beer, cerveza. One of the first great works of world literature, the Gilgamesh Epic, references the importance of beer. Beer has played an important role in the lives of many cultures throughout history, however it’s impact on these societies is not widely known. High Schools don’t teach “Beer History” classes. This is niche of history that while largely untaught is very interesting to people today, history buff or not. This is because roughly the same beverage that the Samarians brewed 6000 years ago still has an influential place in our society. I won’t try to give the entire history of beer, the internet has given us encyclopedic references for that (see references), however I will give an outline for those not willing to read that much.

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