How is the discovery of beer linked to the growth of the first civilizations ?

Question

andrea · Answer

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/03/17/opinion/sunday/how-beer-gave-us-civilization.html?referer=&_r=0

ladycielphantomhive · Answer

Beer became socially and ritually important to hunter-gathers so in order to ensure the availability of grain, hunter-gathers switched to farming. Beer helped to make up for the decline in food quality as people took up farming, provided a safe form of liquid nourishment, and gave groups of beer-drinking farmers a comparative nutritional advantage over non-beer drinkers.