One day sometime between 36,ooo BC to 43,000 BC, a Stone Age hunter (or gatherer) was out hunting (or gathering) when he (or she) came upon some source of starch. Perhaps it was a berry or a grape, maybe some wheat or rye. Seeing in the stars that the weather would soon turn, our hunter (or gatherer) thought it wise to stash some starch for the coming cold. Unaware of the galaxy of yeast that swirled all around them, the Stoner stored the starch in a damp place, and inadvertently fermented the world's first adult beverage. We’ve been at it ever since, endlessly recreating that first divine gift from the gods: Beer.

Beer -- Civilization Itself.
In the intervening 38,000 to 45,000 years, beer has been the oral history of humanity. Were it not for beer, there would be no civilization. Some archeologist suggest that the main reason for abandoning our nomadic ramblings was so we could cultivate wheat for brewing beer (and for baking its lesser counterpart, bread). Were it not for beer, we could not gaze in wonder at the precision of the pyramids of Egypt. The highly skilled stonemason's responsible for their design were paid in jars of beer. Were it not for beer, there would be no Boston Red Sox. While en route to the colony in Virginia, the Pilgrim's ran out of beer. Naturally, they said, "Bugger this! Pull over! We need beer!" The rest, they say, is history.

True meaning of Beer.
Beer has been a sacrament, a method of payment, an anesthetic, a regiment of medicine, a reason for colonization, an instigator of war, and a means to its end. It is a reason to sing. It is a reason to dance. It could be the reason you were born. But it’s definitely the reason you are here right now, reading these words.

From Gilgamesh to "Beer Fest," from the Norman Conquest to the Second World War, from "bouza" to Budweiser, there has always been beer. So grab yourself a cold pint and take a long draught of history.