Beer is made from Barley, Yeast, Hops, Water, and Grains.
Fermentation converts the simple sugars in the grains and barley into alcohol. People have been brewing beer for around 6,000 years. It is thought the Sumerians discovered the fermentation process, perhaps when a piece of bread or grain became wet and began to ferment.
The oldest written recipe in the world,
recorded 4,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, is for beer. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates recommended beer as a Greek tranquilizer. Today, the average American or Swiss adult drinks 21.7 to 23 gallons of beer each year. In Switzerland, between registered, unregistered, and private, there are 8000 breweries for a population of 8 million.
Pennsylvania has had more breweries than any other state, including the oldest active brewery in the United States, Yuengling Brewery, in Pottsville. Worldwide, Belgium has the most brands of beer – 400+ – and the Czechs drink the most, an average of more than 42 gallons per adult each year
