History of Beer Timeline

(c. 7000 BCE - Present)

Beer is one of humanity's oldest beverages, with origins tracing back over 7,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. Over millennia, brewing evolved from a domestic and ritual activity into a commercial industry, shaped by monastic traditions, the Bavarian Reinheitsgebot of 1516, industrialization, pasteurization, refrigeration, and today's global craft beer renaissance. More Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Ancient Origins

Beer vital to ancient civilizations

3000 BC - 500 BC

Beer became vital to all the grain-growing civilizations of Eurasian and North African antiquity, including Egypt. In 1868, James Death even put forward a theory in The Beer of the Bible that the manna from heaven given to the Israelites was a bread-based, porridge-like beer called wusa.

Image source: History of beer

Beer produced in Ebla, Syria

2500 BCE

The Ebla tablets, discovered in 1974 in Ebla, Syria, show that beer was being produced in the city as early as 2500 BCE, documenting one of the earliest known records of beer production.

Image source: Ebla tablets

Hammurabi regulates tavern keepers

2100 BCE

In 2100 BCE, the Babylonian king Hammurabi included regulations governing tavern keepers in his law code for the kingdom, demonstrating how integral beer and its sale had become to Babylonian society.

Image source: Code of Hammurabi

Sura consumed during Vedic Period

1500 BCE - 500 BCE

In Ancient India, the Vedas and Ramayana mention a beer-like drink called sura that was consumed during the Vedic Period (c. 1500 – c. 500 BCE).

Thracians consume rye beer

500 BCE

The Thracians were known to consume beer made from rye since at least the 5th century BCE, according to the ancient Greek logographer Hellanicus of Lesbos.

Medieval Brewing

European monasteries produce beer

700 CE

Beer produced before the Industrial Revolution continued to be made and sold on a domestic scale, although by the 7th century CE beer was also being produced and sold by European monasteries.

Charlemagne champions beer

800 CE

Charlemagne, Frankish king and ruler of the Holy Roman Empire during the 8th century, considered beer an important part of living and is often thought to have trained some brewers himself.

Image source: Charlemagne

Flavoring beer with hops begins

900 CE

Flavoring beer with hops was known at least since the 9th century, but was only gradually adopted because of difficulties in establishing the right proportions of ingredients.

Image source: Hops

French and Flemish brewers honor brewers

1040 CE - 1087 CE

Brewers active between 1040 and 1087 were recognized by some French and Flemish brewers, reflecting the growing status of the brewing craft in medieval Europe.

Introduction of hops in northern Germany

1200 CE

The key innovation in medieval brewing was the introduction of hops, which began in northern Germany in the 13th century and transformed the flavor and preservation of beer.

Hopped beer perfected in Bohemia

1300 CE

Hopped beer was perfected in the medieval towns of Bohemia by the 13th century, setting a standard for quality that would spread across Europe.

Beermaking shifts from family to artisan activity

1300 CE - 1500 CE

By the 14th and 15th centuries, beermaking was gradually changing from a family-oriented activity to an artisan one, with taverns and monasteries brewing their own beer for mass consumption.

Hopped beer imported to England

1400 CE

Hopped beer was imported to England from the Netherlands as early as 1400 in Winchester, and hops were being planted on the island by 1428.

Ale versus beer distinction in England

1400 CE

In 15th century England, an unhopped beer would have been known as an ale, while the use of hops would make it a beer, creating a lasting distinction between the two terms.

Image source: Ale

Hopped beer spreads through Europe

1400 CE - 1500 CE

This type of hopped beer production spread to Holland in the 14th century and later to Flanders and Brabant, reaching England by the late 15th century.

Hops planted in England

1428 CE

By 1428, hops were being planted in England, marking the beginning of domestic hop cultivation that would support the growing popularity of hopped beer.

Early Modern Era

Hamburg per capita consumption rises

1500 CE - 1700 CE

In Hamburg, per capita beer consumption increased from an average of 300 liters per year in the 15th century to about 700 liters in the 17th century, reflecting beer's growing role in daily life.

Reinheitsgebot purity law adopted

1516 CE

In 1516, William IV, Duke of Bavaria, adopted the Reinheitsgebot (purity law), perhaps the oldest food regulation still in use through the 20th century. It ordered that beer ingredients be restricted to water, barley, and hops; yeast was added after Louis Pasteur's discovery in 1857. The law passed formally from German law in 1987.

Image source: Reinheitsgebot

Fragile hand-blown glass bottles made in England

1580 CE

Fragile hand-blown glass bottles began to be made in England in the late 16th century, opening the door to bottled beer.

Image source: Glass bottle

Bottom-fermented beers discovered

1600 CE

Bottom-fermented beers were discovered by accident in the 16th century after beer was stored in cool caverns for long periods; they have since largely outpaced top-fermented beers in terms of volume.

Image source: Lager

Malt dried with coke after 1600

1600 CE

Prior to the late 18th century, malt was primarily dried over fires made from wood, charcoal, or straw, and after 1600, from coke, improving consistency in malt production.

Image source: Malt

Bottled beer keeps longer than barrelled

1691 CE

By 1691, glass bottles had improved enough for the merchant Thomas Tryon to comment that bottled beer kept longer than beer in barrels.

Industrial Revolution

Thermometer introduced to brewing

1760 CE

The introduction of the thermometer in 1760 allowed brewers to measure temperatures precisely, increasing efficiency and control over the brewing process.

Image source: Thermometer

Steam engine improvements enable industrialization

1765 CE

Following significant improvements in the efficiency of the steam engine in 1765, industrialization of beer became a reality, moving production from artisanal to industrial manufacture.

Image source: Industrial Revolution

Hydrometer introduced to brewing

1770 CE

Further innovations came with the introduction of the hydrometer in 1770, which allowed brewers to increase efficiency and attenuation in the brewing process.

Image source: Hydrometer

British law restricts beer ingredients

1816 CE

A British law of 1816 forbade the use of any ingredients other than malt and hops in beer, prompting innovations in malting technology.

Image source: Porter (beer)

Daniel Wheeler invents drum roaster

1817 CE

The invention of the drum roaster in 1817 by Daniel Wheeler allowed for the creation of very dark, roasted malts, contributing to the flavour of porters and stouts.

Image source: Daniel Wheeler

Asia's first brewery incorporated

1855 CE

Asia's first brewery was incorporated in 1855 (although it was established earlier) by Edward Dyer at Kasauli in the Himalayan Mountains in India under the name Dyer Breweries.

Louis Pasteur discovers yeast's role in fermentation

1857 CE

Louis Pasteur's 1857 discovery of yeast's role in fermentation led to the development of methods to prevent the souring of beer by undesirable microorganisms, revolutionizing brewing science.

Image source: Louis Pasteur

US brewery consolidation accelerates

1870 CE - 1895 CE

Despite record increases in production between 1870 and 1895, the number of US brewing firms fell by 46%. As late as 1877, only four breweries topped 100,000 barrels annually, but by 1895 the largest sixteen firms were all brewing over 250,000 barrels annually.

Image source: Beer in the United States

German unification spreads Bavarian law

1871 CE

The Bavarian Reinheitsgebot law was applied throughout Germany as part of the 1871 German unification as the German Empire under Otto von Bismarck, and has since been updated to reflect modern trends in beer brewing.

Image source: Unification of Germany

Metal screw-top invented

1879 CE

The metal screw-top was invented in 1879, making bottled beer easier to seal and transport.

Image source: Screw cap

Mass production of bottles by mould casting

1890 CE

Mass production of bottles by casting in moulds began in the late 19th century, dramatically lowering the cost of bottled beer.

Modern Era

Kalevala collected in written form

1850 CE

The Finnish epic Kalevala, collected in written form in the 19th century but based on oral traditions many centuries old, devotes more lines to the origin of beer and brewing than it does to the origin of mankind.

Image source: Kalevala

Domestic beer manufacture ceases to be significant

1900 CE

During the Industrial Revolution, the production of beer moved from artisanal manufacture to industrial manufacture, and domestic manufacture ceased to be significant by the end of the 19th century.

Nationwide Prohibition in the United States

1920 CE

Prior to 1920 there were thousands of breweries in the United States. Beginning with nationwide Prohibition in 1920, most of these breweries went out of business, although some converted to soft drinks and other businesses.

Image source: Prohibition in the United States

Majority of beer bottled

1945 CE

By 1945, the majority of beer was bottled, only to be overtaken by canned beer later in the 20th century.

Image source: Beer bottle

Morton Coutts develops continuous fermentation

1953 CE

In 1953, New Zealander Morton Coutts developed the technique of continuous fermentation, allowing beer to be brewed without interruption and greatly increasing efficiency.

Global beer revenues reach $294.5 billion

2006 CE

More than 133 billion liters (35 billion gallons) of beer are sold per year, producing total global revenues of $294.5 billion (£147.7 billion) in 2006.

Image source: Beer

Global beer revenues reach $294.5 billion

US breweries number over 1,400

2007 CE - 2010 CE

The number of breweries in the United States has been claimed as being either over 1,500 in 2007 or over 1,400 in 2010, depending on the source, reflecting the growth of craft brewing.

US breweries reach 2,538

Jun 2013

As of June 2013, The Brewers Association reported the total number of currently operating US breweries to be 2,538, with all but 55 of those being craft breweries.

Image source: Brewers Association

Iron Age beer evidence found in Cambridgeshire

Feb 2019

In February 2019, archaeologists from Mola Headland Infrastructure and experts from Highways England found evidence of the first Iron Age beer, dated back over 2,000 years, during road works in Cambridgeshire.

5,000-year-old beer factory found in Abydos

Feb 2021

In February 2021, archaeologists found a 5,000-year-old beer factory in Abydos, Egypt, dating back to the reign of King Narmer in the Early Dynastic Period.

Image source: Abydos, Egypt

5,000-year-old beer factory found in Abydos

Global beer market projected to grow

2024 CE - 2028 CE

The global beer market is projected to grow by $148.43 billion between 2024 and 2028, according to a report by Technavio, continuing beer's remarkable global expansion.

Key Facts

The earliest evidence of beer production dates back to around 7000 BCE in Mesopotamia, where Sumerians brewed beer from barley and even had a goddess of brewing, Ninkasi.
In ancient Egypt, beer was a staple of daily life and wages for workers building the pyramids were often paid in bread and beer.
The Reinheitsgebot (German Beer Purity Law) of 1516 established that beer could only be made with water, barley, and hops, becoming one of the oldest food regulation laws still influential today.
Louis Pasteur's studies on fermentation in the 1860s led to better understanding of yeast, while pasteurization and refrigeration enabled mass production and global distribution of beer.
The American craft beer movement, beginning in the late 1970s with pioneers like Fritz Maytag and the legalization of homebrewing in 1978, sparked a worldwide resurgence of diverse, small-batch brewing styles.

Source

This History of Beer timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

Want a timeline like this one?

Generate yours with AI or build it from scratch, for free.

Try It for Free