Not only is beer the oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic drink in the word, it’s the third most popular drink after water and tea.
There’s a small amount of evidence it was produced during the pre-pottery Neolithic period which lasted from 8500BC to 5500BC.
The first clear evidence of the drink dates back to about 3500- 3100BC from the site of Godin Tempe in the Zagros Mountains, western Iran.
During the building of the Great Pyramids in Giza, Egypt, each worker was given four or five litres of beer which served as both nourishment and refreshment.
Judging beer - there are worse jobs! August 6, 1982.
Ale in those days would be entirely different to what we’re familiar with now – often brewed with fruits, honey, plants, spices or herbs – but not hops.
Hops were first mentioned in relation to brewing in Europe in around 822.
These pictures capture people in Hampshire enjoying the beverage many of us know and love
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