Beer is defined as an alcoholic beverage made by brewing and fermentation from cereals, usually malted barley, and flavored with hops and the like for a slightly bitter taste. The oldest proven records of the brewing of beer are about 6,000 years old. These records refer to a group of people called the Sumerians. No one really knows how they discovered the brewing technique, but it could be thought that a piece of bread or grain became wet and a short time later, it began to ferment and a inebriating pulp resulted. The Sumerians referred to beer as the "divine drink" and it made them feel "exhilarated, wonderful and blissful".

The greatest producer of beer in 2004 is China. The United States is second, with an output of 23 million kiloliters, or more than 15 percent of world output. Germany ranked third, followed by Brazil and Russia.

Eugene Olfir -- 2007