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This timeline traces the evolution of beer through the ages, highlighting key milestones and technological advancement.
Ancient Chinese civilizations were brewing beer-like beverages as far back as 7000 BCE, predating the invention of writing by several millennia.
Chemical analysis of pottery from the Neolithic village of Jiahu in Henan province revealed traces of a fermented drink made from rice, honey, and fruit—suggesting that these early brewers were already experimenting with complex flavor profiles and may have been using beer in religious or spiritual rituals long before the rise of organized religion.
The oldest chemically confirmed barley beer, dating back to around 3400 BCE, was discovered at the Godin Tepe archaeological site in the Zagros Mountains of modern-day Iran, providing concrete evidence of beer production in ancient Mesopotamia.
This ancient brew was not just a casual beverage but played a crucial role in Sumerian society, where workers were often paid in beer rations, and the Sumerians even had a goddess of beer named Ninkasi, whose hymn doubled as the world's oldest recorded beer recipe.
Ancient Egyptians were prolific beer brewers, with evidence suggesting that by 3100 BCE, beer was not just a popular beverage but also used as currency, medicine, and even in religious ceremonies.
During the construction of the Great Pyramids of Giza, workers were provided with a daily ration of 4 to 5 liters of beer, which served as both nutrition and motivation—leading some historians to humorously suggest that beer was the secret ingredient that built the pyramids.
First documented use of hops in beer by Carolingian Abbot Adalard of Corbie.
The Weihenstephan Brewery, founded in 1040 CE by Benedictine monks and still producing beer today, has survived through centuries of wars, plagues, and even a period when the monastery was struck by lightning and burned down three times in one year—yet they kept brewing, earning them the title of the world's oldest continuously operating brewery.
The Reinheitsgebot, enacted in 1516 and often touted as the world's oldest food regulation still in use, originally allowed only barley, hops, and water in beer (yeast was added later)—making it illegal to brew wheat beers—a law that was routinely broken by Bavarian royalty who couldn't resist their beloved Weissbier.
Kronenbourg Brewery founded in Strasbourg, France.
Arthur Guinness, the founder of the iconic Guinness brewery, signed a 9,000-year lease on the St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin in 1759 for an annual rent of £45—an astoundingly optimistic business move that has certainly paid off.
Guinness initially specialized in brewing ales, and it wasn't until nearly 40 years later that the brewery began to focus on perfecting the dark porter style that would eventually evolve into the world-famous Guinness stout we know today.
Bass Brewery founded in Burton-upon-Trent, England.
Shepherd Neame Brewery founded in Faversham, England (claims to be Britain's oldest brewer).
The Munich Oktoberfest, which ironically begins in September, started in 1810 as a public celebration of Crown Prince Ludwig's wedding, featuring horse races and free beer—but the party was such a hit that the Bavarians decided to repeat it annually—eventually growing into a 16-day festival that now serves over 7 million liters of beer and attracts 6 million visitors from around the world.
Daniel Wheeler's 1817 invention of the drum roaster, which allowed for the creation of dark roasted malts, was actually a response to a British law prohibiting the use of any ingredients other than malt and hops in beer—it solved a legal problem for porter brewers while revolutionizing beer flavors and giving birth to styles like stouts and black lagers that we still enjoy today.
Pilsner Urquell founded in Plzeň, Bohemia (now Czech Republic), creating the Pilsner style.
Carlsberg founded in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Anheuser-Busch founded in St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
Adolphus Busch, co-founder of Anheuser-Busch, revolutionized the American beer industry by being the first to use pasteurization and refrigerated rail cars, allowing Budweiser to be shipped nationwide and become "The King of Beers".
During Prohibition, the company stayed afloat by selling products like ice cream, soft drinks, and even baker's yeast—with Anheuser-Busch becoming America's largest producer of ice cream bars by the end of the 1920s.
Heineken, founded in 1864 by Gerard Adriaan Heineken, purchased a failing brewery and turned it around by developing a unique yeast strain known as "Heineken A-yeast," which is still used in their beer production today and kept under tight security.
Adolph Coors, a German immigrant who stowed away on a ship to America at age 21, founded Coors Brewing Company in 1873 using a recipe he'd memorized from his apprenticeship in Prussia.
During Prohibition, Coors pivoted to producing malted milk and near-beer, while also becoming the world's largest producer of porcelain lab equipment and creating a ceramics division that later contributed to the Manhattan Project by developing ceramic technology crucial for enriching uranium.
yCelis Brewery founded in Hoegaarden, Belgium, reviving the witbier style.
The end of Prohibition in 1933 was celebrated with such enthusiasm that President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously quipped, "What America needs now is a drink," and proceeded to have a dirty martini delivered to the White House within 30 minutes of signing the law.
While Prohibition was meant to curb alcohol consumption, it actually led to a boom in homebrewing and bathtub gin production, with some estimates suggesting that by the time Prohibition ended, there were more illegal drinking establishments in the U.S. than there had been legal ones before it began.
Continuous fermentation technique developed by Morton Coutts.
New Albion Brewing Company founded, often credited as the first American craft brewery.
Anchor Brewing Company releases the first modern American IPA.
Sierra Nevada Brewing Company founded in Chico, California, USA.
Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Company) founded in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
yDogfish Head Brewery founded in Milton, Delaware, USA.
InBev formed from the merger of Interbrew and AmBev.
The notorious caffeine fueled Four Loko is launched.
InBev acquires Anheuser-Busch, forming AB InBev, the world's largest brewing company.
Clear malt drink Zima is discontinued in the US.
AB InBev merges with SABMiller, further consolidating the global beer market.
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