Tacitus Describes the Beer of the Germanic Peoples

In 98 CE, the Roman historian Tacitus described the drinking customs of the Germanic peoples in his ethnographic work Germania. He wrote that they produced a fermented drink from barley or wheat that bore some resemblance to wine. Communities living closest to the Rhine and Danube also obtained wine through trade. Tacitus contrasted their simple food with what he portrayed as excessive drinking, reflecting Roman literary judgments as much as Germanic life itself. He did not name individual beer styles or explain the brewing process, and his account was probably based on earlier writings and reports rather than personal observation. Nevertheless, the passage is important written evidence that fermented barley- and wheat-based drinks were established among Germanic communities during the Roman period.