Beer - the most basic of our words, the basis for our collection in fact. It's an old, old word too, from the depths of our linguistic origins, although the exact original meaning is lost in the seas of time. It might have to do the yeast that produces alcohol, or with the barley that feeds the yeast, or even something completely out of our logical deductions.
In English, the oldest form is beor, but that particular beverage was not what we consider beer today. A bitter, fermented malt drink, possibly with hops, was an ealu (more on that later), while beor was sweeter and maybe made from fruit rather than grain. More of a cider than a modern idea of beer. Over time, with outside influences from the continent, the word beer became limited to a grain-based alcoholic drink.
Modern beer is defined as an alcoholic drink brewed from water, malt, hops, and yeast, the malt traditionally being derived from barley. Quite a number of modern breweries use a different source for their malt, either because of cost cutting or because of local traditions. Beer today is the umbrella term, taking in ales and lagers, as well as lambics.
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