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Beer - Barley, Hops And A Lot Of Luck
By Michael Russell
It's almost become the first choice for a lot of people, when the purpose is to quench their thirst. Many businesses have been built while using this product as their ultimate selling point. People gather every day to share a laugh, to share a smile and to share a beer. To some people, being able to drink a beer is like the rite of passage into adulthood. I don't know, maybe it's because there are laws against underage drinking, so when you're able to take that first legal drink, it tastes so much better. Beer, like sports, seems to have a way of bringing people together. Beer has been around for some time. The oldest documented evidence shows that beer has been around for at least 6,000 years. The ancient Egyptians and Chinese also brewed beer. Oddly enough, women were considered the master brewers. Beer was popular with the Romans and Greeks until wine came along. The Romans thought of wine as a type of food from the gods. Beer quickly lost its popularity in Rome and soon became a drink only fit for barbarians. During this time in Europe, beer making was still done in the home. As the 15th century rolled around, pubs and even monks were brewing beer, in Europe, for mass consumption. Most beers will have the same ingredients and these are, barley, hops, water and yeast. The brewing process is what determines the style of beer. There are almost 70 styles of beer; some of the most common are, ale, lager, pilsner, mild beer and porter. With almost 70 styles, there's probably at least one beer that fits everyone's taste. So how do you like your beer, bottled, canned or draft? If given the option, most drinkers would chose draft beer. Draft beer retains most of its brewing flavor, plus, the packaging process does not affect the flavor as much. Most bottled beer is able to keep some of its flavor, even though it goes through a pasteurization process. Bottled beer can last about 3 months on a shelf. Also, the beer will keep longer if it comes in a brown bottle. Canned beer is filtered before it's canned, but then it goes through a pasteurization process after it's canned. Canned beer has a tendency to smell like the area where it was packaged. Beer is obviously one of the most loved liquids in the world. People drink it for all occasions. It's not defined by economic status, because the rich and the poor all drink beer. But beer is like anything else, it must be drunk in moderation. Most people who've been drinking for years, probably have some story of getting drunk and not remembering what happened the night before. These stories used to be funny, but as drinking, especially underage drinking, has grown, those stories tend to have unhappy endings. We've seen too many stories of drunk and unruly fans at sporting events, or worse, the drunk driver, to continue to believe in the concept of the happy drunk. People will continue to gather places to watch sports and share a beer. But lets hope that beer will be just part of a good time and not the reason for having a good time. Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Beer
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