The discovery of beer was linked to the growth of the first civilizations because it was very important to farming. Beer was important to hunters and gatherers so they switched to farming to ensure the availability of grains. It was a safe drink to have and made up for the decline the food quality. The history of beer tells us that in the ancient world early civilians came to a conclusion that the water wasn’t safe to drink in some areas. Also, it says that when boiling water and making an unknown spirit in the first few attempts, then it was in fact safer to drink beer. They decided that this was a component in sustaining life itself.In order to gather his information on the use of beer, Tom Standage uses sources from the stone age period.