The Fall and Rise of Local Brewing. Kevin Bagshaw Like our neighbour Sheffield, and many UK cities, Doncaster is enjoying a new enthusiasm for locally brewed ale. This latest development completes a full circle in the history of beer from cottage industry, to international business and then the return to local artisan production. Brewing is an ancient practice dating back as far as 8000BC. The first organised agriculture in the Far East is believed to have sprung from a need to cultivate grain for brewing. The brewing was done by the women (known as Brewsters) while the men produced the grain in the fields. These techniques were first seen in Britain in around 4500BC. Beer gradually grew in popularity with the working population but it wasn’t until the emergence of London Porter in the 18th century that large scale production was seen. Porter was a largely blended beer so named because of its popularity with the Porters (couriers) working London’s busy streets. The waters from Burton-on-Trent had gained a reputation for their magical qualities in producing beer since the 11th
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