Expert: Ed Westemeier - 2/9/2003

Question
Where does the origin of the word Beer come from and how did it come about?

Answer
That's a great question! I wish I knew the answer myself.

Unfortunately, nobody knows for sure. The farthest back anyone has been able to trace it is about 1,000 years to the Old High German word "bior" which became "bier" in modern German.

It turned into "beor" in Old English, and eventually into "beer" in modern English.

There are a lot of theories about how the word might have come from earlier roots, but they are all really just guesswork.

Hope that helps.
Ed