Beer is a beverage which is commonly taken for granted.
There are some beer drinkers who do not savor the experience; their aim is mere intoxication. Beer is more than amber-hued alcohol; it’s also the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the world and about a $300 billion industry.
Not to mention it is credited as the main reason hunter-gatherer types settled down and built villages – they had to grow more grain to make more beer, meaning they stayed to tend the fields.
By definition, the word beer covers any alcoholic beverage produced by fermentation of carbohydrates derived from a grain or other plant source. The production process is called brewing.
Beer is believed to be one of the oldest beverages, thought to date back as far as 9000 B.C. The Code of Hammurabi even contains areas which specifically refer to beer. Because practically anything made up of sugar or starch has a natural ability to ferment, it is likely that beer-like beverages were accidentally created all around the world.
The cultivation of grain, resulting in bread and beer, is believed by some historians to be the key event in humanity’s ability to develop technology and build civilizations.
Beer was truly a religious experience for ancient cultures.
The Sumerians worshipped Ninkasi, goddess of beer and brewer of the gods. In a mostly illiterate society, her followers chanted the recipe when worshiping her, not only showing reverence but insuring the formula was remembered and preserved. A Sumerian clay tablet dating back to 1800 B.C. had The Hymn to Ninkasi carved upon it, making this prayer the oldest beer recipe in existence. Side note: Anyone considering reviving the church of Ninkasi should check out Ghostbusters, Evil Dead or Ba’al: The Storm God – worshipping ancient Sumerian gods is pretty much a bad idea.
In some African cultures, Yasigi was the goddess of beer, dancing and masks. She was often portrayed as a busty woman dancing with a beer ladle – beer advertising really hasn’t changed that much.
So beer was incredibly important to ancient cultures; besides getting folks drunk and being a tasty beverage, what else is it good for today?
For starters, you can get all the benefits of moderate alcohol use: lowered risk of heart disease, stroke and cognitive decline.
In 2004, researchers at University College in London found drinking might be associated with higher cognitive ability, particularly in women. The report published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found people who consume anywhere from one drink up to 30 drinks a week performed better than nondrinkers on a battery of tests designed to measure their intellectual ability.
A Japanese study in 2005 concluded low-alcohol beer may have anti-cancer properties. Beer is also a diuretic and has been known to help pass kidney stones. Again, please note these benefits come when you drink beer in moderation. Drinking to excess has negative effects that more than cancel out the benefits.
Moderate drinking is only having one or two alcoholic drinks per day, and we are talking about the manufacturer’s serving size, not a mason jar.
Beer has been called “liquid bread” because it is so nutritious; there are notable levels of magnesium, calcium, selenium, potassium, phosphorus, biotin and B vitamins in beer.
It is also high in fiber with no fat or cholesterol. Most of what attributes to a beer belly is eating very unhealthy food while drinking.
Besides being relatively good for you, beer has other uses.
You can kill things with it, well, just slugs, snails, wasps, bees and other outdoor pests, but that is not the only use for beer in the garden. Beer is also rumored to cure brown spots on your lawn and is excellent plant food.
Beer is great in the kitchen and on the grill as well.
Basting with beer can produce some of the most tender and juicy steaks and burgers for two reasons: The water in the beer keeps the meat hydrated and the beer tenderizes because it is slightly acidic.
You can bake bread with it, add it to chili, make a beer batter for fish – beer can be added to many dishes. Try replacing the water you boil shrimp in with beer or when boiling rice, for a nice change of pace.
Beer also has household uses.
Flat beer can be used to liven up aging wooden furniture. Just take a rag, dip it in the beer and rub it into the wood. It will polish and bring back color.
You can also use it to polish gold jewelry by dropping a few pieces into a dish of beer, remove and polish with a dry cloth. This applies to polishing pots, too. Beer gets out coffee and tea stains, just be sure to rinse well to remove the smell.
With all that said, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, excessive alcohol use is the third leading lifestyle-related cause of death. They also report approximately 79,000 people die every year related to alcohol abuse.
So eat, drink and be merry, but please do so in moderation.

Nachos Con Queso y Cerveza

3/4 cup chopped onion
2 jalapeno
peppers seeded and chopped (could substitute with hotter pepper, if desired)
3 cloves chopped garlic
2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 tablespoon
canola oil
Saute for 5 minutes.
Then add:
2 large chicken breasts, cubed
1 14 oz. can of diced tomatoes
1/3 cup beer
Simmer over low heat until liquid is absorbed. Spoon mixture over a bed of
tortilla chips and top with cheeses of your choice. Bake at 350 F degrees until
cheese is melted. Add additional
toppings you desire and serve.
*For variation, get a pack of foil pie pans and set up a topping station so
everyone can make their own.
(Serves 4)