LogFAQs > #949654293

GrabASnickers posted...

Tens of thousands of years is a bit of a stretch

There's evidence that grain fermentation arose independently in multiple different civilizations throughout history, going back easily that far. It's actually theorized that grain agriculture arose not to produce grain for eating, but for fermentation, with edible cereals following shortly after and breads even later. The beer that was produced that way would have been substantially weaker than we're used to, and probably not particularly flavourful, but it was safer than drinking untreated water, and that made it essential for denser societies to start to form.

Zeus posted...

Plus isn't it cheaper than other alcohol options?

Depends entirely what you're comparing. In terms dollars per unit volume, generally, since it tends to be purchased in larger volumes than other drinks, but in terms of dollars per unit of alcohol, you can often do much better than beer by buying cheap spirits (especially compared to decent beers).

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