Beer

Beer is an alcoholic beverage produced by the saccharification of starch and fermentation of the resulting sugar.

Brewing
The starch and saccharification enzymes are often derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly barley and wheat. Most beer is also flavored with hops, which add bitterness and act as a natural preservative, though other flavorings such as herbs or fruit may occasionally be included. The preparation of beer is called brewing.

The strength of beer is usually around 4% to 6% alcohol by volume although it may vary between 0.5% and 20%, with some breweries creating examples of 40% and above

History
Some of Terran Human’s earliest known writings refer to the production and distribution of beer: the Code of Hammurabi included laws regulating beer and beer parlors, and "The Hymn to Ninkasi", a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, served as both a prayer and as a method of remembering the recipe for beer in a culture with few literate people. Today, the brewing industry is a Union wide business, consisting of several dominant Ultra Corps and hundreds of   thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries.

Union Consumption
Beer is the Union’s most widely consumed alcoholic beverage, and is the third-most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is thought by some to be Earth’s oldest fermented beverage.

Beer forms part of the culture of beer-drinking worlds and is associated with social traditions such as beer festivals, as well as a rich pub culture involving activities like pub crawling and pub games such as bar billiards.