History and Uses of Beer
I suspect beer making goes back into prehistory. That’s in part due to the fact that as far back as the sixth millennium B.C., records show a recipe for making it. It’s half a prayer, but the prayer contains complete instructions for producing this potent potable. The location is Ancient Iraq.
Beer itself (or the evidence of it) dates back to around three thousand B.C. in Iran. European sites in about the same era have also been discovered, though it is thought that was for personal consumption, not sale or trade.
Around the seventh century A.D., monasteries were producing and selling it to the public, but it still wasn’t on a large scale. It took the Industrial Revolution to turn beer into a beverage for the masses.
Most people look at beer (and the cousins, ale and stout) as a beverage, however that’s not everything beer can be used for. In fact, it has many other uses.
Cooking with beer isn’t that much of a leap from using it as a beverage, but there are several tasty ways to use it. Beer can chicken is quite good (open beer, place into cavity of a whole chicken and bake) as is beer bread. The yeast and the foam in the beer act as leavening, making quick breads rise properly.
If you have an invasion of slugs in your garden, set out little dishes of beer around it. It;s at least it’s more humane than salt. When they’ve been dealt with, you can pour the remains onto brown areas of your lawn to improve them. On the other hand, if you’re planning on barbecuing, you could simply set them around the perimeter of your patio to attract bees and keep them from pestering you.
Minor stomach upsets (in adults only) may be soothed by the carbonation in beer. Of course, if you have an ulcer or other serious stomach problems, you’ll want to skip that one.
For me, I think one of beer’s best uses is as a hair highlighter and enhancer. After shampooing your hair, pour the beer over it, let it sit for a couple of minutes, then rinse it out. You might be surprised at the results.
Author: Mary Bodel
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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