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I have recently discovered a group of people in the Free State near Parys (not to be confused with Paris, France) working in chemistry, they decided to mix science and pleasure and created a micro brewery called “The Dog & Fig Brewery”.
Dog & Fig is our “brewing” partner for our upcoming beer tasting which is taking place on Friday 05 March at roots restaurant. To entice guests to visit us on this occasion I have included a history of beer for your reading pleasure.
When I met with Dog & Fig, we met and talked for many hours and elaborated on this infectious subject of brewing. I am in principle a wine person, and always refer to beer as a flagellant bad habit, bearing in mind the lagers, according to me, are not so “lekker”.
Nevertheless, if well done, a brew can be a wonderful beverage but also the perfect match to food. Being a specialist in food and wine pairing I decided to be brave and try my experience to new boundaries of yeast and malts…
I am proud to say that, besides an excellent selection of four beers at Dog & Fig and I managed to influence and convince those “nutty professors” to try a new recipe.
Beer has started in Africa, but was mastered in Europe, so the question was, how will I add Africa’s culture (pardon the pun) in a bottle? Sorghum beer is already available, so what could qualify as a flavour that is unique to Africa and still different? Being a chef, I thought of herbs and bushes similar to rooibos type of flavours, so I spoke to the brewers and suggested Buchu, they tried the brew and WOW!! What a success. It is subtle, herbitious, with a sweet finish.
  
The History of Beer
Beer is one of the world's oldest beverages, with the history of beer dating back to the 6th millennium BC and being recorded in the written history of Ancient Iraq. The earliest Sumerian writings contain references to beer.
Beer was part of the daily diet of Egyptian Pharaohs over 5,000 years ago. It is to believe that at first beer was made of the only cereal in Africa called sorghum. Then, it was made from baked barley bread, and was also used as a sacrament in religious practices.
The role of beer in Egyptian society was far greater than just a drink. Often, beer was prescribed to treat various illnesses. Beer was considered to be the most proper gift to give to Egyptian Pharaohs, and it was also offered as a sacrifice to the gods.Based on historical evidence, it appears that the Egyptians taught the Greeks the beer brewing process. The Greek writer Sophocles (450 BC) discussed the concept of moderation when it came to consuming beer in Greek culture, and believed that the best diet for Greeks consisted of bread, meats, various types of vegetables, and beer or zythos as they called it.
The Greeks later taught the Roman civilization the process of brewing, who in turn later taught the early British/Anglo-Saxon tribes.
Historical documentation shows that around 5,000 years ago, ancient Chinese were brewing a beer-like substance known as “Kui”. Brewing was a fairly well respected occupation during the time, and that the majority of brewers were women.
Early traces of beer and the brewing process have been found in ancient Babylonia as well. At the time, brewers were women as well, but also Priestesses. Some types of beer were used especially in religious ceremonies. In 2,100 BC, the Babylonian king Hammurabi included regulations governing tavern keepers in his law code for the kingdom.
Beer drinking accessories, such as mugs, have also been found in Israel, and date back to nearly 2,000 BC.
Mead is an alcoholic beverage, made from honey and water via fermentation with yeast. Its alcoholic content may range from that of a mild ale to that of a strong wine. It may be still, carbonated, or sparkling; it may be dry, semi-sweet, or sweet. Mead is often referred to as "honey wine."
Depending on local traditions and specific recipes, it may be brewed with spices, fruits, or grain mash. It may be produced by fermentation of honey with grain mash; mead may also be flavored with hops to produce a bitter, beer-like flavor.
Mead is independently multicultural. It is known from many sources of ancient history throughout Europe, Africa and Asia, although archaeological evidence of it is ambiguous. Its origins are lost in prehistory; "it can be regarded as the ancestor of all fermented drinks," it is believed that our pre-historic men brewed honey comb and used the larva in the wax cell to start the fermentation.
Archaeological evidence for the production of mead dates to around 7000 BC. Pottery vessels containing a mixture of mead, rice and other fruits along with organic compounds of fermentation were found in Northern China. In Europe, it is first attested in residual samples.
As almost any substance containing carbohydrates, mainly sugar or starch, can naturally undergo fermentation, it is likely that beer-like beverages were independently invented among various cultures throughout the world. The invention of bread and beer has been argued to be responsible for humanity's ability to develop technology and build civilization.
Beer produced before the Industrial Revolution continued to be made and sold on a domestic scale, although by the 7th century AD beer was also being produced and sold by European monasteries.
During the Industrial Revolution, the production of beer moved from artisanal manufacture to industrial manufacture, and domestic manufacture ceased to be significant by the end of the 19th century. The development of hydrometers and thermometers changed brewing by allowing the brewer more control of the process, and greater knowledge of the results.
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