Thank women for beer – There have been hair-splitting researches over beer because it is one of the most loved alcoholic drinks.
While we down 2-3 bottles of beer in parties, little did we know that the origin of beer goes eons back, as long as 500 years. women now chip away a lot at beer’s repute citing that to be a man’s drink while it was categorically associated with women.
Then back in time, there was no moral yardstick for women not to drink and they indulged in consuming alcohol as much as men in the society.
Beer, hence was best crony of them women back then.
Thank women for beer –
A brief history of beer:
The beer recipe that was written is considered to be the hymn to Ninkasi, who at 1800 B.C was the Sumerian goddess of beer. Sumerians were the first people who raised the bar of beer drinking. According to the archeologists, the first fermented beverage consumption dates back to the 9000 years ago whilst beer rose in fame 4000 years later. When hunter-gatherers realized they would have to settle in one place to harvest grain, during the transitional period from Paleolithic to Neolithic civilization, beer came into being.
Back in the era, brewing was associated with women and it was considered to be a kitchen task. Both Sumerians and Egyptians eulogized the beer goddess. It is also said that Ninkasi, who was the only woman in the Sumerians’ list of kings, was notably known as a brewer. What’s more, the Egyptians have also worshipped the goddess of BeerMenqet accompanied by worshipping the the Sun god Ra’s daughter Sekhmet whose bloodthirsty ways could be fended off by beer.
When beer became a commodity, women took charge in selling them too.
In the late fifth century AD, women were making large share of beers that brought great surplus to the families. One could figure out that a seller has extra beer to sell as she placed a broom outside her house as a signal for the same. This concept was called ‘Alewife’ which emerged around 5th century AD itself. Alewife stands for ‘Brewsters’ which means female brewers.
As time went by, beer grew out of the cottage industry and spread its wide wings in the export/Import industry so it surpassed the threshold of household domain. Women began to sell beer worldwide and come 20th century, Beer production slowly slithered in the hands of men. Women, who put indefatigable teamwork to bring beer production to this stature, has been reduced to being demure, virginal and married. People and the society suddenly attached a stigma to women drinking beer and those who still consumed it, started being side-eyed, worse, even cornered by the society.
Thank women for beer – However, tables always turn back and there are many women in the beer industry today as brewers, tasters etc. A study proves that women make better beer than men. If society doesn’t constantly focus on the fact that they are female instead of the fine quality they produce, those beers could be sold in runway prices.
