[euge]

I certainly wouldn't be surprised that beer preceded mass cultivation. Grain left in jars gets wet. When the people recover the grain it's gone "funny" and they eat it any way. It becomes a wonder in their world. The rest is history. And some part of that would be in the bible.

Perhaps the original intent was to pass down detailed brewing knowledge now mostly lost over time and has become:

Throw your bread upon the face of the water, because in many days you will acquire it. Give a serving to seven and also eight, because you do not know what evil will be upon the land.
(Ecclesiastes 11:1–2)

So what makes it into the bible is this particularly cryptic phrase with additional advice not to be stingy or someone will take it anyway.

[tubercle]

 Every known culture has had some form of fermented beverage from grain or fruit since time immemorial. Yes, the Israelites had "beer". The second thing Noah did after getting off the Ark was plant a vineyard and make wine.

  The Europeans have been accused of introducing "alcoholic beverages" to the native north and south Americans. They didn't have to because the native americans already had all they could brew. The Europeans just introduced the distilled versions.

[Hokerer]

Beer is one of those words. Think of it this way.. beer = bier = bierre = biru = pivo, etc.

beer = beir = bierre = cerveza, oh wait 

[richardt]

I made a "Bible Beer" not too long ago.  My Mom likes Food for Life's 'Ezekiel 4:9,' a sprouted 100% whole grain bread.
I read the packaging which quotes Ezekiel 4:9:  "Take also unto thee WHEAT, and BARLEY, and BEANS, and LENTILS, and MILLET, and SPELT, and put them into one vessel, and make bread of it..."

My "Bible Beer" recipe used 80% Barley and 4% each of Wheat, Beans, Lentils, Millet, and Spelt (total 20%). 
And water.
And yeast.

I recommend soaking all the beans and puree them first, then do the cereal mash (thin mash with constant stirring and low heat to avoid scorching).

[rabid_dingo]

Beer is one of those words. Think of it this way.. beer = bier = bierre = biru = pivo, etc.

beer = beir = bierre = cerveza, oh wait 

No, you are on the right track...Think Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Just try and say "Mecero! Dos Cerevisiae por favor!" and see the reaction.

[tschmidlin]

You might find the first two entries here interesting . . . I do.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=beer

[dbeechum]

beer = beir = bierre = cerveza, oh wait 

Yeah, it changes very little, but there are still variants based on different root languages. They both run in branches of Indo-European, but the whole beer line comes out of the Germanic branch and then was picked up into French, etc, but not Spanish which retains the Italic cervesiae construct.

My ultimate dream job other than owning my own place would be owning my own place and having time to pick up degrees on a perpetual student basis. I really do miss school some days.

[tschmidlin]

My ultimate dream job other than owning my own place would be owning my own place and having time to pick up degrees on a perpetual student basis. I really do miss school some days.

Careful what you wish for Drew - it's not all it's cracked up to be.  The occasional class is awesomely fun, all the little check boxes you have to satisfy to get a degree . . . not so much.   

[beerocd]

I really do miss school some days.

You "miss" school - it wouldn't be the same going back though. The way it was and the way it is are very likely two incredibly different things. Plus all the incredibly hot chicks at school are now born in a different decade than you. Just saying, if you've romanticized college life - you can't go back. I love learning; I especially enjoy those days when I'm immersed in a new subject and there's so much to comprehend that I have a headache at the end of the day and it feels like my head is going to pop.

[euge]

If one wants knowledge being an autodidact is the way to go. As homebrewers it looks like we have a bit of that bent in our personalities. 

That being said I enjoy the discipline of having to attend class and study. The extraneous stuff doesn't matter except for the hot chicks. 

What that has to do with beer in the bible I don't know except I went to Mass 6 days a week for 4 years in high-school and it never kept me from touching alcohol. Not once.

[beerocd]

Oh NO! The topic strayed  !!!!

[euge]

Oh NO! The topic strayed  !!!!

And my efforts to drag it back on course probably didn't help either.

[tschmidlin]

Oh NO! The topic strayed  !!!!

And my efforts to drag it back on course probably didn't help either.

Is that what you called that euge? 

[euge]

Well it was more of an acknowledgement that we had strayed from the path...

[tumarkin]

Well it was more of an acknowledgement that we had strayed from the path...

straying from the path...... and on a biblical thread. am I reading too much into that? yep, I think so