I just read through an interesting article in the Pennsylvania Gazette about the history of fermented beverages. Thanks to a man named Patrick McGovern, who has researched the trail of ancient wines and beers for more than two decades, we know the first traces of alcohol go as far back as 9000 years ago. Alcohol might have been more important than bread at the beginning of civilization and been even more influential towards humans experimental choices for which grains to select.
He thinks that chewing might have played a role in transforming the starches into sugar. Also, fermented beverages are a substantial improvement over the unprocessed cereal grains. Alcoholic beverage are found in every corner of antiquity except for the poles. Even in North America where there isn't direct evidence of alcohol consumption, there is evidence of fermentation of a plant stalk that is a precursor to corn.
They even reverse engineered some beer/wine out of the Turkish grain saffron and some ancient grapes and still have some available.
McGovern does not say that beer and wine were the only cause for civilization but its quite interesting that there is evidence that alcohol appeared at just about the same time as civilization.
