125 YEARS WE COMMITMENT TRADEMARKS JOIN UP BEER CULTURE PRESS DISTRIBUTORS AND DEALERS VENDORS HISTORY OF BEER ELABORATION PROCESS TYPES OF BEER BEER AND GASTRONOMY BEER SECTOR MAHOU SAN MIGUEL > BREW CULTURE > BEER HISTORY HISTORY OF BEER Beer is one of the oldest products of civilization. ITS ORIGIN AND EXPANSION Its origins take us to 9,000 years ago in the Blue Nile (Sudan) where remains of a type of cereal called sorghum have been identified with evidence of fermentation. Centuries later, in 4,000 BC. C., Sikaru , a drink made with fermented grains , is mentioned on some Sumerian tablets. The Chinese, more than 4,000 years ago, also drank a ferment of wheat, barley, spelled, millet and rice that they called Kiu . In 3,000 a. In Mesopotamia, beer played an important ritual, commercial and medicinal role. The Egyptians called it Zythum and it became a national drink. This allowed its rapid expansion through neighboring countries and the Mediterranean basin. BEER IN SPAIN The oldest beer finds in Europe have been found in the Can Sadurní Cave , in Begues (Barcelona): a ceramic container with remains of this drink and some mills with evidence of malted cereal dating from 3,000 BC. considered more remote in time were those found in the Ambrona Valley (Soria), 4,400 years old, followed by those located in the Genó (Lleida) sites, corresponding to the Bronze Age (1,200 BC). The first brewing guilds appeared in the 12th century, a time when this drink was used as a food supplement for pilgrims and sick people housed in hostels and hospitals. These were controlled by monastic orders that gave rise to the so-called beer of the monks. It is in the Middle Ages when they incorporate hops in their production, an ingredient that gives it its characteristic bitterness. ITS EXPANSION IN OUR COUNTRY But it was Emperor Carlos V who introduced beer to Spain with greater force, bringing with him a court of master brewers who are experts in the artisanal elaboration of this natural product. At the end of the 16th century, the first factories were installed in Madrid, although the breweries flourished in the late 19th century. Beer, in the past a sacred drink reserved for the ruling classes for the celebration of certain rites, today has become a consumer product for all, linked to social relationships. © Mahou San Miguel Legal warning Legal conditions Privacy Policy Cookies policy Contact us Visit our factories Web map Committed to society With the support of: Mahou San Miguel recommends responsible consumption FOLLOW US ON