History of alcoholic beverages

These are some brief introduction to the history of drinking that many of you might not be aware of.

Alcoholic beverages has a long history of over 9000 years

Chemical analysis of trace absorbed and preserved in pottery jars from the neolithic village of Jiahu in the Henan province in northern China has revealed that a mixed fermented beverage made from rice, honey, and fruit was being produced. This is approximately the time when barley beer and grape wine were beginning to be made in the Middle East

Beer was an everyday drink

During the Middle Ages in Europe, beer, often of very low alcoholic level was an everyday drink for all classes of people and of all ages of people. A document from that time mentions that nuns were allowed to drink up to six pints of ale every day.

Alcohol was used for medicine

Around 2100BC, the medicinal use of alcohol was mentioned in Sumerian and Egyptian texts and the Hebrew Bible recommends giving alcoholic drinks to those who are dying or depresses to allow them to forget their misery.