BEER (AS. beer, 011G. Liar, Ger. bier; prob ably a dissimilation for *breer, and connected with AS. bHoican, 011G. brintcan, Ger. brauen, to brew; another etymology refers beer to AS. boo, barley). The term beer, in its broadest sense, denotes any fermented liquor that has not undergone distillation. This definition of beer is very comprehensive, and includes many varieties of fermented liquors not commonly known as beer. The name has also a more limited meaning. In England the name beer usually denotes some form of ale, and in the United States and in Continental Europe the term is practically restricted to lager beer, which, however, is made in a variety of qualities. Brew ing is the name given to the process of manu facturing beer. although, strictly speaking, the manufacture consists of two separate processes known as malting and brewing, which will be found discussed fully under BREWING. In the
present article, the principal varieties of beer and their characteristics will be described briefly.
Historically, beer is of great antiquity; it was manufactured by the Egyptians and afterwards by the Greeks, Romans, and ancient Gauls. Among the ancient writers who mention beer are Herodotus, Taeitus, Pliny, Xenophon, and others. The Romans are supposed to have intro duced the art of brewing beer into Britain, the only intoxicating beverages used by the Britons previous to the Roman conquest being mead and eider. Naturally the process of brewing prac tieed by these ancient peoples has been vastly improved upon by modern brewers, who have called in the knowledge of chemistry and bacteri ology to aid them in perfecting their art.