Beer: The Catalyst of Civilization

Ancient Sumerians invented beer around 4000 BC and some historians believe they did it to control

the population through happy hour politics. The theory goes that Sumerian priests created brewing

recipes as sacred texts, making them the only ones who could produce alcohol,

which gave them massive social power. Workers were literally paid in beer rations, about a gallon per

day, turning entire civilizations into functional beer economies. Fast forward to

today and we still use phrases like liquid bread and have entire industries built around craft

brewing culture. The wildest part is that some researchers think the whole agriculture revolution

happened because humans wanted a steady supply of grains for booze, not bread.