What Happens Inside A Fermentation Vessel?

Vessels used to hold liquids for fermentation have discovered in archeological sites all over the world. Each vessel reflects the different methodologies used to concoct beer, wine, and meads (among the many alcoholic drinks) throughout the ages. The first brews were probably held in leather pouches, and wooden or clay bowls. The oldest beer recipe originates from the Mesopotamian/Sumerian culture and is written as a poem to the goddess of barley and beer – Ninkasi.

It has been deduced that beer was a by-product from the bread making process as it uses barley and yeast ingredients as well. A clay tablet dated circa 3300 BCE, and found in the ruins of a forgotten Sumerian city, shows a person drinking from a conical shaped vessel. This demonstrates that not much has changed for the last 5,000 years except the vessels are now much bigger.