How has beer saved humanity?

Okay, I know this is going to sound crazy but the fact is that we humans wouldn't be here if it weren't for beer; or at least humankind would be far worse off. Why do I say that? The reason is simple. Before humans understood that infectious bacterial could be in drinking water, many people died from dysentery and diseases of that sort. However, they soon discovered that if one drank beer, one did not die. It was just a subjective observation, not a scientific one.

Take the pilgrims. They came over to America with beer. They drank it while at sea and when they arrived here they soon made their own beer after establishing a colony. Everyone drank beer, including women and children. Drinking beer was necessary for life. Beer and rum became the acceptable beverage for the colonists. Beer was the elixir of life. Actually, it still is, but at least now we know how to make potable water.

Beer as a beverage goes back a long way and it was and still is the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage now and back then. Beer is the oldest beverage. It goes back to nearly 10,000 BC. Ancient Samaria, Egypt, and China brewed beer. Beer was probably the reason why ancient peoples formed civilizations. They needed to grow grains to make beer and that meant settling down to an agricultural society. Man, we gotta' have our beer!

According to Wikipedia the Code of Hammurabi included laws regulating beer and beer parlours (or parlors in modern speak), and supposedly there was a Mesopotamian goddess of beer. Beer is a major part of several cultures as is evidenced by the proliferation of beer festivals. Brewing beer is a major industry in many countries and it has attained a beloved status among many cultures. The ancients believed that beer was a gift from the gods. They had no idea how it worked but it didn't matter. It tasted good and gave them a buzz.

The main ingredients for brewing beer consist of water and a source of starch, usually malted (grains are soaked in water to begin germinating and then dried using hot air) barley. Basically, the malted barley's starches are converted to sugar and this is what is fermented to convert to alcohol. Hops are often added to flavor (add bitterness) the beer and preserve it.
As any beer drinking person knows, there are many beer varieties. Ale is made from a top-fermenting yeast and pale malt; Larger is made from a bottom-fermenting yeast; Stout is made from roasted malts and barley. Most beers have from 3 to 6% alcohol content; although, some fortified beers have as much as 14% and even 20%. Wow!

The taste of beer varies as to how it's served. Draught is on tap from a barrel that is pressurized with carbon dioxide. Most people drink beer out of cans or bottles. I prefer the draught variety.

A big change in beers has occurred in recent years by the introduction of light beers with less carbs. Bud Light and Cores Light are good examples of this. Germans would call this stuff water. Give me a Guinness or at least a Stout!

Thanks for reading.