The craft of brewing ale from barley has been practised for at least 7000 years. The growing of barley for beer probably originated in the Middle East . There is evidence that the ancient Babylonians and Egyptians both grew barley for brewing and the cultivation of barley together with the process of brewing was gradually introduced into Europe . At some time before the Roman invasion, brewing was introduced into England .
The Anglo Saxons drank both ale and mead, the latter being produced from a mixture of honey and water. The mead hall or beer hall formed an important part of their culture. The first English ale houses were set up by the Anglo Saxons in huts along the roadside, although the Romans had probably introduced inns or public houses providing wine. The ale stake, a pole set outside the house indicated the existence of the ale house and was a forerunner of the present day inn sign.
At first, ale was brewed on a small scale for domestic use. Brewing on a large scale was established in monasteries where hospitality for travellers was offered.
Ale continued to be produced in great quantities in Norman times despite the increased quantity of wine being imported into the country. The importance of ale in the life of the country was acknowledged in 1215 in the Magna Carta where the requirement of a standard measure for ale was included. Later in 1267, Henry 111 introduced the Assize of Bread and Ale whereby the price of those two commodities, so important to the public, was fixed according to the local price of wheat and barley. As the only preservative for food available was salt, and as the brewing process had the effect of purifying the water, large quantities of ale were consumed. This was important as access to an uncontaminated source of water was limited particularly in towns.
Ale was a sweet thick drink made from malt (germinated barley) infused with water and yeast and flavoured with spices, but no hops. Hopped beer was originally imported from Flanders sometime in the fourteenth century. The Brewers Company which had been incorporated in 1437 sought to oppose the use of hops in the brewing process and in the reign of Henry V1 petition was made to Parliament seeking to ban the “use of the wicked weed in beer”. However, the opposition to hops gradually diminished as brewers became aware of the preservation qualities of hops, and in 1552 during the reign of Edward V1 the ban was lifted.
In 1643 the first duty was imposed on beer by Charles 1 during the Civil War, and this was followed in 1697 by a tax on the malt used in brewing.
With the start of industrialisation during the eighteenth century came the development of large wholesale breweries as well as the beginning of the tied house system and the introduction of porter, a drink produced by London brewers and based on the mixture of three types of beer drunk by the workers in London . The growth of the common brewer together with the increased consumption of tea and coffee resulted in a decrease in the importance of domestic brewing. Many technical advances were introduced in the nineteenth century into the brewing process which helped to preserve the beer. This century also saw the growth of the Temperance movement.
An increase in legislation regulating the brewing industry, and a growing market concentration of the major brewery companies has been the marked trend of the twentieth century.
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