I found the following answer on wikipedia.com http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer Beer, generically, is any alcoholic beverage produced through the fermentation of starchy material and which is not distilled after fermentation. The process of beer production is called brewing. Because the ingredients used to make beer differ from place to place, beer characteristics such as taste and colour vary widely, and consequently its type or classification. One of the oldest beverages man has produced, dating back to at least the 5th millennium BC and recorded in the written history of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, the character of beer has changed drastically over the millennia. There is also this quote found on: http://www.beer-lover.com/ He was a wise man who invented beer. -- Plato Plato lived from approximately 427-347 BC As you can see from the dates, beer has been around for millenia and is mentioned in ancient Egyptian history.

Somewhere between 7,000 and 9,000 years ago. "One of the oldest beverages man has produced, dating back to at least the 5th millennium BC and recorded in the written history of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, the character of beer has changed drastically over the millennia." --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beer " Barley is believed to be the first grain that nomadic farmers produced after they settled down 10,000 years ago in Mesopotamia and the city-states of Sumer. Barley is one of the main ingredients used to make beer. The farmers used the barley to make bread and beer. 4,000 years ago after the Sumerians developed the first written language, they wrote detailed instructions on how to make beer. It is clear that beer was made when civilization was still very early in it's development" --http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mray/homepage.html "The origin of beer is thought to be the Mesopotamia region. As early as in the seventh millennium BC, the local people grew crops and probably also knew about fermented cereal beverages." --http://www.prazdroj.cz/eng/navstevnici/381.php?agc_passed=1 " Barley is believed to be the first grain that nomadic farmers produced after they settled down 10,000 years ago in Mesopotamia and the city-states of Sumer. Barley is one of the main ingredients used to make beer. The farmers used the barley to make bread and beer. 4,000 years ago after the Sumerians developed the first written language, they wrote detailed instructions on how to make beer. It is clear that beer was made when civilization was still very early in it's development" --http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mray/homepage.html