People & Alcohol

Church Brew Works

Pittsburgh, PA

Ohio University
PBIO 103 (Plants & People)
Dr. Jared DeForest
 The Importance of Alcohol
Alcohol influences many different
neurotransmitter
Very effective

Humans and animals are drawn to

alcohol

Alcohol has provided a variety of

functions for people
Important role in religion & worship

Source of needed nutrients

Medicinal & antiseptic properties

Enhancing the quality of life

Social lubricant
Facilitate relaxation
Pharmacological pleasure
 Pre-historic

The discovery of alcohol was by

accident at least 10,000 years ago
Fruit kept in pottery
A woven basket would not
produce alcohol

The production of alcohol is a

simply biological process
Fermentation

Fleshy fruit – especially berries

Will eventually ferment unless
consumed
 Ancient Period

Beer may have preceded bread as staple

Good way to preserve energy &
nutrients – lots of calories

Source of clean water - A necessity for

survival

Earliest alcoholic beverages

Berries and Honey

Winemaking – wild grapes native to the

middle east
 Ancient Brewing

Brewing dates from the beginning

of civilization
Alcohol was a necessity of life
Brewed in every household

Common by 2,000 BC

Four types of alcohol beverages

Beer – grain
Wine – berries (grapes)
Mead – honey
Cider - apples
 Moderation

When consuming alcohol, moderation

was stressed
Difficult to survive & produce food if
your drunk

Early civilizations quickly recognized

the dangers of excessive intoxication

Only the rich or powerful could get

drunk on a regular basis
Common folk reserved intoxication at
festivals & banquets
 Roman Empire
Wine was the drink of choice among
the Romans
Distributed free or at cost to Citizens
A means to subdue to population

Grapes grew well within the roman

empire

Lead poisoning & wine

Romans brewed wine in lead pots

Used lead acetate to sweeten wine

Drank out of lead cups

 Middle Ages
After the fall of the Roman Empire,
monasteries became repositories of
brewing
Monks guarded their knowledge

Common folk produced rustic beers &

wild fruit wines

Distillation developed
Process to increase the alcohol
content (proof) – fortified wine

Medicinal purposes

Popularity of beer started to replace

wine in Europe
 Climate & Wine
Medieval Warming Period 800- 1300 AD
Warmer than today

Climate could support wine grapes as

far north as mid-Britain

Wine was the popular drink during

this time, due to climate

When the Little Ice Age began in 16th

century, most vineyards died out
Beer became popular in northern
Europe, whereas wine was popular in
south
Beer – English, Belgian, German
Wine – France, Italy, Greek
 German Beer Purity Law

By the 16th century, countries in

Europe took their beer and wine
making very seriously

1561 – German Beer Purity Law

Beer can only be malted barley, hops,
pure water, & yeast

Prevent price competition with bakers

for wheat & rye

Prior to law, people would:

Add soot, psychoactive mushrooms, or
other potential unhealthy product to
preserve beer
 US Pre-Prohibition
Alcohol was illegal in the US from
1920-1933 – The 18th Amendment
Many other countries went through
the same thing

Pre-prohibition
Every town had its own brewery
Distributed locally

Rural farmers brewed their own –

always had a parcel for barley

Because beer’s character comes from

its environment, the variety of beer
was enormous

Beer was an integral part of daily

life since American colonization
 US Prohibition

Prohibition
Virtually all small town brewers
when out of business

Some large breweries survived

Malted products for food industry
Selling ‘sacramental wine’

Brewing went underground

The mob gained power by selling
bootlegged booze

Prohibition was very unpopular by the

1930’s
Illegal alcohol worse to society than
legal alcohol
 US Post-Prohibition

Post-Prohibition
21st Amendment repelled the federal law

Liquor laws still on the books

No sales in certain counties
e.g. Lynchburg TN, home of Jack
Daniels whiskey, is a dry county

Industry of large breweries emerged

Demise of small breweries – 10 years of
idle equipment and low operation budgets

Mass marketing of beer began

An increase in alcohol content
 The American Lager
The ingredients in beer changed
Before prohibition, beer was malted
barley, water, yeast, & hope

After, beer contained less malt & hops,

and more adjuncts

Adjuncts – Added to beer to lighten the

body & increase the alcohol content

World War II - rationed grains

Most beer drinkers in US were women,
who preferred lighter body & taste

One style of emerged – light lagers

e.g., Budweiser et al.
 Microbreweries

Choice of beer was limited after

prohibition

Many people started to homebrew

Recapture centuries-old tradition of
beer making

Microbreweries started to spring-up

again (1990’s)
Emergence of ‘craft beer’ in US market

Virtually all early microbreweries was

from home brewers
The End

Modern microbrewery