Neolithic Period
No one knows when beverage alcohol was first made.
16th Century
As the end of the middle ages approached, the
popularity of beer spread to England, France and
Scotland and
beer brewers were recognized officially as a guild in
England.
In the sixteenth century, alcohol beverage
consumption reached 100 liters per person per year in
Spain. Polish peasants consumed up to three liters of
beer per day.
Middle ages pubs:
Built under a castle
The Brazen Head in Dublin, Ireland
since
1198 and the oldest pub in the USA,
The White Horse Tavern in Newport,
RI which has been serving patrons
since 1673.
significant changes to daily life. Some of these
However, it was presumably the result of a fortuitous
accident that occurred at least tens of thousands of
years ago.
Late Stone Age beer jugs prove that beer was made at
least as early as the Neolithic period.
Anthropologists have suggested that beer may have
preceded bread as a staple.
17th and 18th Century The Virginia colonists
continued their traditional beliefs about alcoholic
beverages. They
considered their natural foods and good when used in
moderation. In fact, beer arrived with the first
colonists,
who considered it essential to their well-being.
History of Bar
and Beverage
19th Century Throughout Europe during the
Industrial Revolution, beer, wine, and
distilled liquor became
important products. Businesses and
industries sold their products to countries
around the world. As a new
middle class emerged with more time and
money to spend, drinking became a valued
leisure activity.
20th Century The twentieth century brought many
innovations,
such as pasteurization, mass production,
commercial canning and bottling, and rapid
transport, improved the
conditions for producing and selling alcohol.