Provisions: Brew your own beer. Here’s how.

The history of beer is almost as interesting as the diverse variety of brews available to us today. Its emergence roughly coincides with humans’ gradual change from a hunter-gatherer way of life to a less nomadic farming existence.

Cultivating grain was an intrinsic part of life for this agricultural society, and it is thought that beer’s origins developed from wet-sprouted grain some 10 000 years ago. But the first clear evidence of beer production dates back 5 000 years, to the Sumerian civilisation of Mesopotamia. From there, it made its way to Egypt, where it was flavoured with mandrake, dates and olive oil. (Questionable decisions, for sure.)

Beer that’s a lot closer to the beverage we know cropped up in the Middle Ages, when Christian monks who were feeling inspired began brewing it seasoned with hops. As time passed, brewing became less of a home- or church venture and more of a structured formal industry, and around the end of 1516, Germany had ratified the Reinheitsgebot (purity law). This essentially limited the ingredients, only allowing for water, hops and barley to be used in beer within the country and former Holy Roman Empire.

The brewing industry saw major changes and advancements during the 1800s after Louis Pasteur’s discovery of yeast’s role in fermentation and the advent of the Industrial Revolution. Brewing became an industrial endeavour, helped on by the invention of thermometers and hygrometers.

These days, we’re spoilt for choice, with a vast selection of beers on shop shelves and in pubs. The rise of craft- and microbreweries has resulted in many high-quality brews with specific target markets in mind. It’s a great time to be alive…

Brewing your own beer is simpler than you might think, but there are some important guiding principles to follow. Here’s the low-down.