One of the world's oldest stories, The Epic of Gilgamesh, is a lively tale of heroism and sacrifice from ancient Sumer. It also contains one of the earliest references to beer. In the story, a female friend of the hero changes a wild, primitive beast into a cultured human being by giving him seven cups of beer.

In reality, drinking that much beer is more likely to have the opposite effect. Nowadays, it is the beverage of choice among rowdy young people on a Saturday night out, and it has fueled acts of violence and destruction in more than a few societies. It is, nevertheless, the oldest known alcoholic drink in the world and is widely enjoyed.

Fermented beverages made from various types of grain appeared independently in different locations all over the ancient world from Africa to China. The word beer itself comes from a Latin verb meaning "to drink", and the ancient Romans were certainly no strangers to the brew. However, because they considered it the drink of barbarians , the Romans generally preferred wine.

In ancient times, people who made beer lacked the means to preserve and filter it properly, so the drink was cloudy and turned bad quickly. It was medieval European monks who introduced scientific brewing techniques in an effort to produce a nutritious beverage to supplement their meager diets.

The monks were not restricted to only brewing the beer, and consumption of it within the monasteries reached astonishing levels. One report from Belgium said that monks were drinking as much as five liters a day. Monastery breweries in Europe also ran their own pubs and enjoyed a tax-free status that came to be resented by the growing merchant class.

As the power and influence of the church declined, the art of brewing became an important commercial activity. Today, beer production is largely a high-tech process in the hands of huge corporations or government monopolies. However, recent years have seen a growth in the popularity of small-scale breweries, reflecting an increasing global demand for quality and variety.

《吉尔伽美什史诗》是世界上流传最久的故事之一，栩栩如生地讲述了古代苏美尔地区（古代幼发拉底河下游的一个地区）的英勇事迹及壮烈牺牲的场面。史诗也涉及有关啤酒的最早传说。在故事中英雄的一位女友用七杯啤酒将一头野性，原始的野兽变成了一位文雅的男子。 

事实上，饮用太多啤酒更可能产生相反的效果。啤酒是时下血气方刚的年轻人在周六夜晚狂欢时必备的饮料，而啤酒也在为数不少的社群里激发了暴力和破坏行为。尽管如此，它仍是世界上公认为最古老的含酒精饮料，而且广受喜爱。

这些由多种谷类制成的发酵饮料，古时候从非洲到中国的世界各国都各自单独生产。啤酒这个词源自拉丁文动词，意为“饮用”。古罗马人对啤酒肯定不陌生，不过，由于他们认为啤酒是野蛮人的饮料，因此古罗马人普遍偏好葡萄酒。

古时的啤酒酿造者缺少良好的保存方法及过滤工具，所以啤酒混浊而且容易变质。正是中世纪欧洲的僧侣们引进科学的啤酒酿造技术，制造有营养的饮料， 从而补充了他们贫乏的饮食。

僧侣们不只局限在酿造啤酒，而且还在修道院中大量饮用啤酒，消耗量实在惊人。一份来自比利时的报告指出，僧侣们每天喝五升多的啤酒。欧洲修道院的酿酒厂也经营自己的酒吧，并享有免税的优惠，此项优待引起正在兴起的商人阶级的不满。

随着教会权力和影响的衰落，酿制艺术也就转变为一项重要的商业活动。今天，啤酒的制造在巨型企业或政府的垄断下俨然成为一个高科技流程。然而近年来，小规模啤酒厂的倍受青睐也反映了全球对啤酒质量及多样化日益增长的需求。