When Did Beer First Become a Mass Produced Beverage?
Posted By admin on July 11, 2011
Beer has been consumed in mass quantities since prehistoric times, so the question as to when beer first became a mass-produced product becomes a matter of definition of terms.
The earliest evidence of writing comes from Sumer, in modern day Iraq, from about 4000 BC, and some of the earliest examples of writing that have been found are recipes for beer. The Babylonians produced beer in large quantities and many varieties, and there is even evidence that workers were paid their daily wage in beer.
The earliest evidence for the mass production of beer in the Western World dates from about 1300 AD, when monasteries and public houses selling beer for mass consumption sprang up across Europe. With the advent of the Industrial Revolution and the invention of the steam engine and readily available instruments like the thermometer and the hydrometer, beer production on a truly mass scale finally got going.
In America, beer production on a truly American Scale got going in the 1870s when brewers on the east coast and in the Midwest began to exploit the newfound refrigeration technology that allowed them to keep beer cold, and preserved from spoilage, while shipping large quantities long distances in refrigerated boxcars.Take a look here to learn more: Comparison of the Super Low-Calorie Beers
Comments