Exactly when humans first began making alcoholic beverages such as beer is not known with any amount of certainty. However, a major turning point in human history was the transition from a foraging and collecting society to a productive, agrarian one.
This gradual transition happened very early (ca. 9000-7000 BC) in the Near East and the Fertile Crescent and the rest of the world followed. As a result, many historians are inclined to give credit the history of beer and brewing as starting with the Sumerians because of ancient records that tell of a prehistoric Eurasian cereal grains cultivated by the civilization at the time. It has been assumed that beer may have been brewing many years before then, primarily by the Chinese.
The historic grain, called emmer, is commonly thought to have been involved in the birth of beer. Horst Dornbusch, noted beer author, relays a familiar anecdotal story about some bread that was left out and got wet and was forgotten about for several weeks.
Not to say that we’re falling behind in other areas, but Europeans are tuned-into America’s lead when it comes to downsizing their palates in favor of niche, funky, unusual and quirky suds. The Big Beer folks on the other side of the Atlantic are feeling a little nervous. Shaky because mass-made lagers are no longer the end-all for guzzlers in other western countries.
In the 1840’s, German immigrants began to come to Texas in large numbers, and because of that, beer in Texas was not far behind. Texas beer has become a favorite of beer lovers in and out of the state.
If you are curious about the difference between lager vs. ale at some point or the other, then perhaps now is the time to get the facts right. Read on to learn more about this fundamental difference in the way your favorite beers are brewed…