History has been supportive and appreciative of the quality of this royal beverage. Beer was so revered by the Pharaoh Kings that they were buried with pitchers and barley grains to provide for them in the afterlife. The Aztecs in Mexico had their own beer Gods - in fact - all over the world; beer was being brewed and regarded as a gift from the Gods.

As time progressed, Monastery Breweries began brewing beer to accompany their meals, or alternatively, to have during their fasting, (as only liquid was allowed during this time). The monks brewed more than they needed and soon it was seen as a respectable, and as such, taxable trade. The export of beer was introduced and it became increasingly common - the beer trade took off from there and hasn’t looked back since.

Contrary to its current associations, many historians believe that beer was the single most influential factor in the civilisation of English society. It was the desire to cultivate fields of grain for making beer that necessitated the transition of our ancestors from nomadic hunter gatherers to settled home makers.

It’s also important to realise that historically beer wasn’t simply seen as a means to achieve intoxication – other beverages achieve this far more efficiently. Quality was always of paramount importance - the Babylonians decreed that anyone producing unfit beer would be drowned in it. King Wenceslas imposed the death penalty on anyone caught trying to export his prized hops. In the English middle ages, it was a floggable offence to serve poor quality beer.

All civilisations or countries were striving for tastes and qualities through different ingredients and methods of production. The Sumerians used dates and honey for extra flavour – the finished drink being sucked up through straws to avoid taking in sediment. The rich would have their own reeds decorated with gold for such a purpose. Ancient Egyptian beer was flavoured with juniper, ginger, saffron and herbs. Hops are said to have first been used to flavour beer in Brabant monasteries in what is now Belgium.

The manufacturing methods and development of varieties have continued to evolve over the centuries and nowadays beer is most commonly made with barley, hops, malt and water. These ingredients go through a process of Mixing, Fermentation, Filtering and Bottling before the brewed beer leaves one of our many breweries.

InBev has got a range of artisan brews that embrace all the ideals, rituals and flavour notions of those ancient civilisations.