The effects of the addition of yeast, even if not known as such, have been present in beer since the beginning. For the Assyrians and Babylonians, beer makers were known as GAL-BI-GAR, as men who make bread. This name comes from the fact that baked loaves of bread were broken up and steeped in water with the addition of malted barley. The mixture was then left to ferment to obtain the SE-BAR-BI-SAG, otherwise known as the ‘drink that makes you see clearly.’
In 1795 the Dutchman Anthony van Leeuwenhock, thanks to his invention of the microscope, discovered the fundamental role yeast plays in the process of fermentation. In 1887 Louis Pasteur clearly demonstrated that ‘fermentation means life’, namely, that yeast brings beer ‘to life’. This quality is lost if the beer is ever pasteurized (which is what occurs with most commercial beers).
Only after these discoveries was fermentation no longer considered either natural magic or witchcraft.
The yeast we use is of English origin.
