What Role Did Beer Play In Global Commerce

While water is the most plentiful and the most needed liquid in the world, there are a few that stand out as having just as large of an impact. Beer, wine, spirits, coffee and tea have all played a role in global commerce, but their role in the development of civilization, culture and social status, are perhaps the largest reasons for each of their popularity.

From the beginning, beer was a social drink, as people shared beer communally from one container. Beer's intoxicating quality made it seem magical to its early drinkers. The early people thought beer to be a gift from the gods, and used it in many religious ceremonies. Beer was referenced in early literature as well: “That beer drinking was considered a hallmark of civilization by the

One outcome of the cereal grain surplus in the Zagros Mountains of what is today's Armenia and Iran, the presence of wild Eurasian grapes and the invention of pottery was wine production. As the taste for wine spread, so did small-scale production in early nations, so the rich could drink this new and flavorsome drink. In ancient Greece, wine drinking was most popular at the Symposia, which were venues for competitive ideological discussions and wine drinking. “The formal, intellectual atmosphere of the symposium also reminded the Greeks how civilized they were, in contrast to the barbarians, who either drank lowly, unsophisticated beer or—even worse—drank wine but failed to do so in a manner that met with Greek approval” (Standage 52). Because the Greeks believed that only the wine god could safely drink pure wine, they mixed it with water. Wine and water also were mixed to make sure drinkers did not overindulge. In the Roman society, wine was a symbol of power and elitism. Everyone drank wine, but the social divisions in their society had the rich citizens get the best wines and the slaves get the worst ones, with other members of society getting wines of an in-between quality. Wine continued to be popular in Europe, after the collapse of Rome due to wine’s importance in religious rituals. “One example of continuity was the widespread survival of Mediterranean wine-drinking culture, which was deep-rooted enough to survive the passing of its Greek and Roman parents” (Standage