A History of Six Glasses (Glass One- Beer)

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Beer was not invented but...

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Beer became socially and ritually important to hunter-gathers so in order to ensure the availability of grain, hunter-gathers switched to farming. Beer helped to make up for the decline in food quality as people took up farming, provided a safe form of liquid nourishment, and gave groups of beer-drinking farmers a comparative nutritional advantage over non-beer drinkers.

What does this history of beer in the ancient world tell us about the early civilizations?

What it tells us really are essentially two things: first, that somehow ancient civilizations understood in some form or manner that the water was not "safe" to drink in some regions. Second, it tells us they learned in some other manner that by boiling the water and then making a "spirit" that was likely unknown to them at the time (at least at the first few attempts) that it was in fact "safer" to drink and was therefore able to quench a necessary component in sustaining life.

What sources does the author use to gather his information on the use of beer?

Standage uses sources from the Stone Age period to gather information on the use of beer. He focuses on the transition that led to humanity shifting from hunting and gathering to agriculture. It also shows how the cultivation of grain led to fermentation.

What were some of the uses of beer by ancient cultures? Nourishment? Ritual? Religious?

The ancient Egyptians made at least 17 types of beer and at least 24 varieties of wine. Alcoholic beverages were used for pleasure, nutrition, medicine, ritual.

How did beer "civilize" man, according to Standage?

Beer, like anything else, is an industry, and it is industry that ushered in civilization and enabled humans to settle in one place, build cities, and rise to achievement.

What is the relationship between beer and writing, commerce, and health?

Regarding health, the alcohol content made it less likely to harbor pathogens such as those which caused dysentery. It was said that it was better to drink beer and die of sclerosis of the liver in your forties than drink water and die of dysentery in your twenties.

What did Incas call their beer, and what did they use it for?

They called their beer chicha, and they presented it to the gods as a religious offering to the rising sun in a golden cup, and poured it on the ground, or even spat out the first mouthful as an offering.

A History of Six Glasses (Glass One- Beer)

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