As much as I love beer, I know that it’s just beer. But, still, it’s not just beer.

My biggest complaint about the huge brewers is the homogenization of beer. Rather than the interesting local variations of beer, reflecting the environment and culture where they’re brewed, you get a bland sameness no matter where you are.

In his piece “How Microbrew Can Save the World“, Chris O’Brien looks at what Globalization is doing to local beer, how the tradition is living on in rural Africa, and some important events in the history of brewing.

The globalization of beer not only destroys the social, spiritual, and health-related benefits of small-scale home beer production. It also undercuts the vital role that home brewing plays in sustainable development throughout the world. For 10,000 years, brewing has been conducted at home, primarily by women, who were entrusted with safeguarding traditions that strengthen social bonds and build community identity. As an important component of diet, beer was distributed by female household heads according to the values of the community, which moderated consumption to socially acceptable levels. As an inherently small-scale and local endeavor, brewing also has had a low impact on environmental resources, relying on renewable energy sources and requiring little or no packaging or shipping.