History of Scottish Real Ale

(Probably the earliest photograph of beer drinking is Edinburgh in 1844)

CAMRA provides a record of the history of brewing defined as:
“We know for sure that beer has been brewed for about 6,000 years, but it’s likely that brewing first started in Neolithic times, basically since harvesting of cereals first began! Beer has a somewhat mystical history. Beer was used to honour the dead in Ancient Egypt, was an ancestral offering in China and brewers who abuse their position in Babylon faced the death sentence!

In the middle ages brewing was largely the preserve of women, known as brewsters, and almost every other house in a community brewed and served its own beer. These were effectively the first taverns or pubs.

The industrial revolution in the 1800s brought many changes to the way beer was brewed and the introduction of new beer styles, many of which still exist today.

The use of natural ingredients earned beer its reputation as liquid bread, and throughout history it has often been consumed as a healthier alternative to water, which was frequently contaminated.