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The Hard Evidence Of Beer Essay

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Hard evidence of beer dates back about 5,000 years to the Sumerians of ancient

Mesopotamia. ("Who invented beer?") Beer gave the Sumerians a safe alternative

nutrient rich alternative then having to drink from near by canals or rivers. Beer was

mainly made in the home during medieval time and it was not until about 14th and 15th

centuries that beer began to steer away from being a family oriented activity. In 15th

century England unhopped beer was known as an ale, when they mixed in hops it was

known as a beer. By the 16th century all beers and ales were made with hops. During the

18th century the Daniel Wheeler invented the drum roaster, which created dark roasted

malts, which gave way to porters and stouts. In 1953, New Zealander Morton W. Coutts

developed the technique of continuous fermentation. Coutts patented his process, which

involves beer flowing through sealed tanks, fermenting under pressure, and never coming

into contact with the atmosphere, even when bottled. ("Who invented beer?") His

process is used by Guinness. Today, the brewing industry is a huge global business,

consisting of several multinational companies, and many thousands of smaller producers

ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries.

Today many of the first original beer giants have joined forces to create large

multinational corporations with distribution worldwide. Here the top five beer giants of

the world and how they got to where they are today.

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