Ancient Homebrewing in Modern Day Mexico

Originally published in the May/June 2011 issue of Zymurgy magazine. When the first prehistoric humans stumbled across the miracle of fermentation, it was viewed as a sacred process—a gift from the gods. For most of human history, beer has been intimately intertwined with the religious and social lives of the communities that produced it; only in recent years has it been disconnected from this context and transformed into a sterile, impersonal commodity. To this day, however, Mexico is home to a diversity of people that still brew folk libations the ancient way. Venturing into the most remote corners of rural Mexico, I have found myself transported back in time to the days when brewing was far more than a commercial enterprise—it was a sacramental act of social cohesion and connection with the sacred.

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