Paleolithic Period

Hunter-gatherers were predominant in the Paleolithic period, also called the Old Stone Age, that occurred some 50,000 years ago. About 12,000 years ago the hunter-gatherers gave up their hunting and gathering in favor of farming.

Mesopotamia

The first evidence of the drink that modern man knows as beer appeared in Mesopotamia in 4000 BCE. Mesopotamia is modern-day Iraq. Man had evolved away from his hunter/gatherer persona by advancing on to farming and a settled way of living which led to the creation of beer from barley and wheat.

The Fertile Crescent

The Fertile Crescent covers modern-day Egypt through the Mediterranean to the southeast corner of Turkey. The area was called the Fertile Crescent because of the dense growth of wild wheat and barley that grew robustly after the Ice Age ended. As it turned out, it was a perfect place to cultivate the grains used to make beer...