The Spatial Diffusion of Beer from its Sumerian Origins to Today

Abstract

This chapter traces the spatial diffusion of beer from the Fertile Crescent region and on to Egypt, then throughout Europe via the Roman conquest. The importance of Catholic monasteries to the development of beer culture in Europe during the Middle Ages is reviewed, along with the rise of commercial brewing and the decline of monastic brewing in early modern Europe. This chapter also discuss the dissemination of beer culture to Colonial America and later in the United States. Topics discussed include the role of German immigrants in the development of nineteenth century beer industry. Twentieth Century topics discussed include prohibition, post-World War II mass production and consolidation, and the rise of microbreweries.

Microbreweries and finance in the rural north of Sweden — a case study of funding and bootstrapping in the craft beer sector

“…The emergence of the craft beer sector has its foundation in the United States, where craft breweries started emerging as a response to stale brands and gigantic, large-scale, macro-breweries that had taken over the market completely (Gatrell et al, 2018). Some claim the origin of the craft beer movement was the Anchor Brewing Company in California, started in 1965 by Fritz Maytag who since is seen by many as the spiritual father of craft brewing (Sewell, 2014). Another landmark is the 1982 Great American Beer Festival in Boulder in 1982, which became an annual event, today hosting over 60 000 visitors and 800 breweries (Great American Beer Festival, 2019;Pascua et al, 2016).…”

“…The brewing industry has experienced major changes in the last decades, moving from strong centralisation characteristics, with rather few but very large breweries, to a situation where a great number of small craft beer producers have taken over parts of the market (Garavaglia & Swinnen, 2018). The starting point of this development is often referred to as the United States in the mid 1960s, where new styles of brewing (Sewell, 2014) and innovative beer festivals increased interest in the sector (Pascua et al, 2016). This development and restructuring of the beer sector has since spread throughout the world, with the number of breweries growing year by year, from North America, to the United Kingdom, Italy, and Sweden (Cabras & Higgins, 2016;Danson et al, 2015;Garavaglia & Swinnen, 2018;Sveriges Bryggerier, 2019).…”

Tapping into Community: Localism, Place-Making, and Diverse Economies in Craft Brewing

“…Beer began its existence as a staple food item in the Neolithic era, and is a driver of the domestication of wild plant species, including the ancestors of modern corn and barley crops (Katz & Voigt, 1996). Although the rise of agrarian societies is largely credited to the inception of bread-making and the subsequent need to produce a steady supply of grain, other theories point to beer as preceding bread and hence the real motivator for agriculture (Katz & Voigt, 1996;Sewell, 2014). The production of alcohol through fermentation made beer more desirable than bread, as consumption produced a pleasing 'high', and provided drinkers with more nutrition than unfermented 'gruel' (a mixture of grains and water, the base for early beers) (Katz & Voigt, 1996).…”

“…The histories of beer and brewing represent an entanglement between humans and morethan-humans through the modified landscapes and ecologies that altered the ways in which people interacted with other species. The grains first used to produce beer, most notably barley, were shaped and reshaped to suit human needs, and the different climates that beer spread to from its origins in the Middle East (i.e., Europe and eventually North America) (Sewell, 2014). The cultivation of plants producing grains provided the necessary foundations for more populous human settlements, due to the ability to produce a reliable source of food.…”

“…The history of beer and brewing is largely a female one. In early agricultural societies, beer and brewing were associated with goddesses of fertility, reflecting women's roles as brewers (Spitz, 2010;Sewell, 2014). In fact, until the proliferation of commercial brewing in the 17 th century, brewing took place in the home and was therefore considered to be a part of women's food work (Bennett, 1996).…”