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Beer isn’t just a drink, it’s one of civilization’s oldest building blocks. In this episode, we crack open the untold story of how beer shaped human history, from the Stone Age to the craft beer boom.
You’ll learn how ancient brews fueled the first cities, helped spark breakthroughs in science and public health, and even played a starring role in revolutions, religions, and regulation. From Sumerian hymns to Egyptian pyramid workers, medieval taverns to Prohibition, beer has been there quietly fermenting its influence on everything from agriculture to democracy.
So pour yourself a pint and join us as we travel through 10,000 years of fermented history. Cheers to the beverage that helped make us who we are.
Sources and Further Reading:
- Stanford University News – “Did crafting beer lead to cereal cultivation?” (2018) – report on Natufian beer discovery at Raqefet Cave – URL: https://news.stanford.edu/2018/09/12/crafting-beer-lead-cereal-cultivation/
- Wang et al., “Revealing a 5,000-year-old beer recipe in China,” PNAS (2016) – archaeological study on Mijiaya site beer residues – URL: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1601465113
- Times of Israel – “13,000-year-old brewery discovered in Israel, the oldest in the world” (2018) – by Amanda Borschel-Dan, on Natufian brewing evidence – URL: https://www.timesofisrael.com/13000-year-old-brewery-discovered-in-israel-the-oldest-in-the-world/
- LiveScience – “Alcohol: Social Lubricant for 10,000 Years” (2012) – by Tia Ghose, on Göbekli Tepe and ancient brewing finds – URL: https://www.livescience.com/25855-stone-age-beer-brewery-discovered.html
- Wikipedia – “History of beer” – general reference for historical facts and quotes (Epic of Gilgamesh, Uruk wages, etc.) – URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_beer
- Fizzics Blog – “10 Ancient Buzzworthy Facts About Beer” – fun compiled facts (Hammurabi laws, pyramid workers, Ninkasi) – URL: https://www.fizzics.com/blog/10-ancient-buzzworthy-facts-about-beer/
- British Museum – “A sip of history: ancient Egyptian beer” (2018) – blog post on Egyptian brewing and pyramid workers’ rations – URL: https://www.britishmuseum.org/blog/sip-history-ancient-egyptian-beer
- Smithsonian Magazine – “World’s Oldest ‘Industrial-Scale’ Brewery Found in Egypt” (2021) – by Livia Gershon, on the Abydos brewery excavation – URL: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/worlds-oldest-industrial-scale-brewery-found-egypt-180977026/
- University of Leicester Blog – “The Story of Pulque: Ritual and Power in Aztec Mexico” (2015) – by Deborah Toner, on pulque’s religious role – URL: https://staffblogs.le.ac.uk/consumingauthenticities/2015/07/03/the-story-of-pulque-part-3-ritual-and-power-in-aztec-mexico/
- Ohio State University (Origins) – “Keeping Beer Pure: The 1516 Reinheitsgebot” (2016) – by Paul Niebrzydowski, on the context of the Bavarian Beer Purity Law – URL: https://origins.osu.edu/milestones/april-2016-keeping-beer-pure-1516-reinheitsgebot
- Aeon – “Drunks and democrats: Taverns and civil society in Colonial America” (2020) – by Vaughn Scribner, on taverns in early America – URL: https://aeon.co/essays/taverns-and-the-complicated-birth-of-early-american-civil-society
- PBS/Ken Burns – “Unintended Consequences – Prohibition” – article on the economic and social effects of Prohibition – URL: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/prohibition/unintended-consequences
- Cato Institute – “Alcohol Prohibition Was a Failure” (1991) – Policy Analysis by Mark Thornton, with statistics on crime and alcohol potency during Prohibition – URL: https://www.cato.org/policy-analysis/alcohol-prohibition-was-failure
- History.com – “How Prohibition Put the ‘Organized’ in Organized Crime” (2017) – by Erin Blakemore, discussing Al Capone and the illicit trade – URL: https://www.history.com/news/how-prohibition-put-the-organized-in-organized-crime
- Brewers Association – “Beer History” (CraftBeer.com) – timeline of U.S. brewing history, including craft beer growth – URL: https://www.craftbeer.com/beer/beer-history
- World Economic Forum – “Global beer industry contributes $X to GDP…” (2023) – industry report excerpt (via Craft Brewing Business) – URL: https://www.craftbrewingbusiness.com/business-management/global-beer-industry-contributes-878b-to-gdp-what-it-means/
- The Guardian – “Cheers as Belgian beer is added to UNESCO cultural heritage list” (2016) – AP report on UNESCO recognition of Belgian beer culture – URL: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/30/cheers-belgian-beer-added-unesco-cultural-heritage-list
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