The reason for beer’s overwhelming popularity is the physical effects of alcohol and the widespread drinking culture centered around the drink.
Researchers from Northwestern University in Chicago determined that people choose to drink bitter drinks like beer because of their psychoactive effects first and foremost, and develop a palate for it later on.
While modern man has nearly perfected the art of brewing, our attraction to fermented drinks comes from a strong sensory bias towards alcohol as a nutritional reward.
Beer has a long history and is deeply connected to the development of human society. While alcoholic beverages were created everywhere agriculture developed, the story of beer made from fermented barley begins in the fertile crescent.
Humans have been brewing alcoholic beverages since the dawn of agriculture 12,000 years ago. These early fermented beverages were made from a mixture of honey, fruit, and grains – an ancient hybrid of the drinks we know as mead, wine, and beer.