This Nicholson’s pub offers a selection of real ale cask beer and keg craft beer.
This art-nouveau masterpiece was built in 1905 on the site of a former Dominican Friary which existed from 1279 – 1539. Following the 260 years of the Dominican Friars the site became the parliament chamber of the monastery. It is believed that Emperor Charles V, the Papal Magistrate and Henry VIII’s court sat on this very site during the dissolution of Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon in 1532. The Black Friar has been a favourite watering hole for many since the ‘merry monks’ first settled on this site. Its unusual shape is due to the fact that all the surrounding buildings have long since been demolished, taking with them the small alleyways that were once the only access to the pub. This wonderful pub was due for demolition in the sixties but the public outcry led by Sir John Betjeman and Lady Dartmouth saved the building.
The history of beer is a very interesting subject and the website https://www.brewscruise.com/blog/where-did-beer-originate-from gives a great explanation.
Please do also consider reading The History of the World in Six Glasses. I found this book to be a thoroughly fascinating and enthralling read.
There are some theories that beer brewing happened at Godin Tepe settlement (now in modern-day Iran) as early as 10,000 BCE when agriculture first developed in the region.
Alulu beer receipt – This records a purchase of “best” beer from a brewer, c. 2050 BC from the Sumerian city of Umma in ancient Iraq
The first solid proof of beer production comes from the period of the Sumerians around 4,000 BCE. During an archaeological excavation in Mesopotamia, a tablet was discovered that showed villagers drinking a beverage from a bowl with straws.
Archaeologists also found an ode to Ninkasi, the patron goddess of brewing. This poem also contained the oldest known recipe for making beer using barley from bread.
Beer is one of the oldest human-produced drinks. The first chemically confirmed barley-beer – from the area of modern-day Iran – dates back to the 5th millennium BC. The written history of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia records the use of beer, and the drink has spread throughout the world; a 3,900-year-old Sumerian poem honouring Ninkasi, the patron goddess of brewing, contains the oldest surviving beer-recipe, describing the production of beer from barley bread, and in China, residue on pottery dating from around 5,000 years ago shows that beer was brewed using barley and other grains.
The very first beer (5,000 B.C.)
Beer was made by mistake. Either someone left a bowl of primitive cereal out in water for a week that collected errant yeasts from the air or some farmer collecting grain in a field left a bag of it behind during a rainstorm. Either way the stuff fermented and beer – human existence’s best mistake – was created.
Ninkasi and China (3,000 B.C.)
For a long time, the first known historical reference to beer’s existence was the infamous Ninkasi poem, a nearly 4,000-year old Sumerian verse written in reverence to the goddess of beer. Recently, though, pottery with beer residue on it was unearthed in China, dating back more than 1,000 years before the Ninkasi poem.
Human civilization grows (1,000 B.C. – 1,000 A.D.)
More than anything else (with the exception of maybe bread), beer is credited with helping to establish modern civilization. Beer was a source of calories for workers, a source of clean water (because the stuff had to be brewed and fermented, dangerous microbes were killed off) and the stuff just made living more bearable with a nice buzz. Beer was a reason to stop and settle (near grain fields) and a propellant toward establishing commerce.
Women and monasteries (1,000 A.D. – 1800’s)
As the dark ages passed and civilization began to ramp up into modernity, beer was the purview of women and monasteries. In European towns, women ran the brew houses. Beer was brewed for family and friends and the extra was sold in taverns.
Outside of town, monks toiled over the perfect recipes, honouring the stuff as a way of honouring God. Monks were also the first to flavour beer with hops around 900 A.D.
Industrialization (1800’s)
The Industrial Revolution brought with it mass production of beer. It was produced on a large scale, shipped around the world and paved the way for giant modern beer companies.
https://pubheritage.camra.org.uk/
Thanks to Pixabay, Vecteezy, Videezy and a special thanks to Ghostrifter Official.
https://www.free-stock-music.com/artist.ghostrifter-official.html
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