Beer and wine might have been one of the first drinks that caused humans to civilize and create a great community. In fact Tom Standage introduces us to this idea of these early drinks shaping human culture in his book A History of a World in Six Glasses. As Standage informs us about how beer was one of the causes in early settlement, and why farming was led to a great success because of the use of beer. Standage also mentions a start in traditions and a formation of government due to these drinks. Although beer being very important, Standage also introduces us to wine as a form of a class status that helped man distinguishing barbarism to a world of high standards and manners allowing for the community to become more cultured and civilized. If it wasn’t because of beer and wine then this community that we see today would not have existed.
Standage believes that because of agriculture and the discovery of beer people would no longer go back to their old ways of hunting and gathering for food, and instead create a community that would only run from the process of agriculture. Throughout the ages we can see how the rise of farming began and how it truly changed the culture of people. As the early Egyptians started cultivating all sorts of grains, they discovered that these grains were capable of being “stored for [the] consumption [of] months or even years later, if kept dry and safe”, and because of this many hunters and gatherers stopped what they did and settled into villages creating the first form of settlement (13).This conclusion of grains forming the first type of settlement as Standage claims has a major shift in how people start living. Now people having more time in their hands they were capable of socializing more and s...
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...ing of civilization and world power. If it was not for these drinks that Standage gives us a brief history of, our society would of not ever flourished with so many views and cultures, ways of government, but most of all the change of views from those who were civilized to then having class as a matter of advancing. We were no longer barbarians, but now civilized individuals who helped develop a world rich of culture and ideals. Because of how people behaved from these drinks our mindsets changed, and people started to see that there had to be some sort of rule and order in a community in order for success to be seen leading us to what we have today. Beer and wine were what started these development in human culture, and because of these drinks changes in the form of civilization were able to be made and create a richer culture where now we view in the modern world.
Tom Standage has described the beginnings of six beverages: beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and Coca-Cola and has found many connections, and information helpful in finding out history of the drinks themselves but also their impacts on the growth of civilization as a whole. This book connects everything with society both past and present, it makes learning about history and the way drinks connect fun and interesting. Like learning without even realizing you are. A History of the World in Six Glasses is more than just talking about each beverage as a single but as a whole, it’s connections, uses, relations, and growth they started.
Understanding the process of brewing will help explain the time limitations of brewing and storing beer, and will ultimately help explain how this tug of war came into existence, as the process of brewing itself is largely responsible for the limited availability of beer early in American history. The process begins with malted barley which is heated to, and held at, a temperature between 60o and 71o C. This process is known as mashing and serves to activate the amylase enzymes which convert the complex starches into fermentable and unfermentable sugars. The wort is then transferred to a boil kettle where hops are introduced and the liquid is boiled extensively to isomerize the bittering oils in the hops. In their isomerized states, these oils will be more soluble and able to impart their bittering qualities into the wort. Finally the wort is chilled as it is transferred into a fermenter and yeast is added to begin the fermentation. The fermenter is sealed from the environment to prevent oxygen, which would stop fermentation, from entering. Fermentation must then be carried out at cool temperatures – about 18o C when using ale yeast and much colder when using lager yeast. Fermentation above these temperatures will still occur but yields an unpalatable product. These temperature requirements made beer a seasonal beverage and limited storage prior to the advent of mechanical refrigeration.
In the book, A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom standage, is about Standage trying to validate that these six drinks (Beer, Wine, Spirits, Tea, Coffee, and Coca-Cola) are what help create a path for America, human history, and the development in history. In the introduction of the book, Standage voices that “Drinks have had a closer connection to the flow of history than is generally acknowledged, and a greater influence on its course. Understanding the ramification of who drank what, and why, and where they got it from…” (5) Standage is an Author and Journalist from England. His book A History of the World in 6 Glasses helps probe the development of history and social branching. In the book civilization and globalization is also a key point because Standage believes that those six drinks are what created a catalyst for each drink to shape the world around us.
Despite my now positive opinion, I have to avow that when I first picked up A History of the World in 6 Glasses, I did not expect to enjoy it. Though I am a “To die For Fan” of three of the beverages used I simply felt no interest in how the world's history had anything to do with them. However, what I quickly learned is that this book is not a history of 6 drinks, but rather just as the title states, a history of the world, told through the story of 6 drinks. The book also made it clear that second to oxygen, that liquids are necessary to humanity. In my opinion, I do agree with the statement that the availability of water and other drinking sources have "constrained and guided humankind's progress" and "have continued to shape human history". Throughout time drinks have not only quenched our thirst; but served as medicines, currencies, and religious rights. It also served as a symbol of wealth and power,as well as tools to appease the poor.
During these times, domestic violence was commonplace and many blamed alcohol as the culprit. Reformers also noticed that alcohol decreased efficiency of labor and thought of alcohol as a menace to society because it left men irresponsible and lacking self control. One reformer, named Lyman Beecher, argued that the act of alcohol consumption was immoral and will destroy the nation. Document H depicts the progression of becoming a drunkard from a common m...
The Roman writer and naturalist Pliny the Elder, in his treatise Naturalis Historia states “there is nothing more useful than wine for strengthening the body, while, at the same time, there is nothing more pernicious as a luxury, if we are not on our guard against excess.” Years before he wrote those words, wine had in fact come from humble origins outside Italy itself. Furthermore, the process of fermenting grapes goes back thousands of years, and its beginning can be traced to where the wild grown grape-vine, vitis vinifera, flourished and was actively utilized for this reason.
Did you know that in the 1920s the American government poisoned alcoholic beverages to stop excessive use of it from the consumers? Of course, this happened during Prohibition which was the America government’s attempt to stop and illegalize the manufacture and marketing of beer. Surprisingly, Prohibition lasted from 1920 until 1933.Throughout the prohibition period, many famous and infamous leaders rose, such as Alphonse Capone, Carry Nation, and Adolphus Busch. Expectedly the use of alcohol during the 1920s caused strong and respectable men to become diverted dull and to be extremely abusive to their spouse and children; therefore causing it to be a necessity to be abolished in the eyes of the American government. “We Sang Rock of Ages”: Frances Willard’s Battles Alcohol in the late 19th century is a selection from an autobiography by Frances Willard in which it provided detailed report of her experience participating in a temperance movement. Frances Willard’s literary piece uplifts the idea of humane purity against foul and slow working toxins that are capable of corrupting the most innocent kind of men, and stresses the importance for men to not be pressured to follow the crowd. Frances Willard’s “We Sang Rock of Ages” essay indicated the temperance movement’s pursuit to heal social morals, abolish the excessive use of alcohol, and target slaves of alcohol to turn to God through prayer as well as song.
It is not common that when one thinks of the history of the world that the thought of beer, wine, spirits, tea, coffee, or even Coca-Cola comes to mind. Matter of fact, the thought of a beverage having an impact in history may be the very last thing that comes to mind. But according to Tom Standage in his book A History of the World in 6 Glasses, he argues that these six drinks have had an all-round influence in the history of the world. It is hard to imagine that the drinks we know of today, were the foundation and building blocks of the history that has been engraved in us. As to which beverage has had a greater impact in history, it is a matter of the extent to which each particular drink has contributed to influencing, not just people, but the course of history. Not diminishing the impact of the other beverages, but coffee has had a greater impact in history over tea and the other drinks.
Farming also became a steady source of food for the early civilization. With established dwellings, communities were able to create crude irrigation systems to support their crops in the very dry dessert like climate. Domestication of animals also became a possibility as well with the more permanent living situation the early civilization h...
The desire to control alcohol consumption, or advocate temperance, has been a goal of humanity throughout countless periods of history. Many countries have had organized temperance movements, including Australia, Canada, Britain, Denmark, Poland, and of course, the United States. The American temperance movement was the most widespread reform movement of the 19th century, culminating in laws that completely banned the sale of all alcoholic beverages. The movement progressed from its humble local roots to nationwide organizations with millions of members and large amounts of political power. The growth of the temperance movement resulted from the changes in society between the original American settlers and the post-Revolutionary War citizens. The Revolutionary War is the catalyst for the movement, and the new society that emerges out of it is the cause of the development of the American temperance movement.
After the American Revolution, drinking was on the rise. To combat this, a number of societies were organized as part of a new Temperance movement which attempted to dissuade people from becoming intoxicated. At first, these organizations pushed moderation, but after several decades, the movement's focus changed to complete prohibition of alcohol consumption. (Brayton)
The call for temperance was supported by progressive reformers who viewed the “Devil’s Brew” as the primary source ...
Beer and alcohol has been around for thousands of years. It was only in the 1900’s that the idea that alcohol was a bad substance came about. Before prohibition went into effect there were 900 barrels of beer brewed each year. On December 10th of 1913 prohibitionist, people who supported prohibition also know as dries, marched to the capitol for the prohibition amendment. On the opposing, the anti-prohibitionist known as wets, elected the famous brewer Anheuser Bush as their leader. During the time of debate, on April 2nd, 1917 President Wilson declared war against Germany. This war gave the prohibitionist another reason for prohibition. Most of the liquor breweries were from German descent. This gave the wets a chance to combine the idea that war and alcohol were evil because they were both German. After lots of debates prohibition finally passed and went into effect on January 16th of 1920. Once in effect, the federal government wanted the state government to enforce the prohibition laws, meanwhile the state governments thought that the federal government would enforce the new law. This caused lots of confusion and for the law to be broken in many ways. It was acceptable to make wine for home conception, though you could not sell it or sell the ingredients for...
Throughout history, society has engaged in taking substances such as alcohol, that alter our physical being or our psychological state of mind. There are many experiences and pressures that force people to feel like they have to drink in order to cope with life, but for many alcohol is a part of everyday life, just like any other beverage. Alcohol is introduced to us in many ways, through our family, television, movies, and friends’. These “sociocultural variants are at least as important as physiological and psychological variants when we are trying to understand the interrelations of alcohol and human behavior”#. How we perceive drinking and continue drinking can be determined by the drinking habits we see, either by who we drink with, or the attitudes about drinking we learn over the years. The chances of people drinking in ways that can harm others and ultimately themselves can be seen by the correlation of educational lessons, cultural beliefs and the usage of alcohol. Looking at all the possibilities, the complex question we must ask is why do people drink? Is it through their defiance of law, the accessibility of alcohol, teachings of others or the values set in place in their society?
Alcoholic beverages have been around for more than 8000 years and despite the World Health Organisation claiming that the global consumption of alcohol has remained roughly the same since 1990, the main groups who do drink are now drinking a lot more heavily. This is shown in the article, Alcohol pricing: Mulled Whines et al. (2013) where it explains how binge drinking was once a rarity in Spain as alcoholic beverages were only consumed mildly with food. However, nowadays during the night at the Plaza de Espana in central Madrid it is now flocked with many groups of people who have been drinking on a binge which results to vomiting and mess on the streets. Pitts (2010) explains that the social benefits associated with drinking alcoholic beverages include that it ‘produces a sense of relaxation, wellbeing and even euphoria in individuals, which enhances their enjoyment of whatever activity they are participating in’, also it can help ease stress and make you more confident in your actions. However, alcohol also has social costs as The Economist et al. (2013)