Corn beer is a

beer style Beer styles differentiate and categorise beers by colour, flavour, strength, ingredients, production method, recipe, history, or origin. The modern concept of beer styles is largely based on the work of writer Michael Jackson in his 1977 book ...

made from

corn Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout Poaceae, grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples of Mexico, indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago ...

(maize). The drink is a traditional beverage in various cuisines.

Chicha ''Chicha'' is a Fermentation, fermented (alcoholic) or non-fermented beverage of Latin America, emerging from the Andes and Amazonia regions. In both the pre- and post-Spanish conquest of Peru, Spanish conquest periods, corn beer (''chicha de jo ...

, the best-known corn beer, is widespread in the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

and local varieties of corn beer exist elsewhere.

History

Corn beer in the Andes has pre-Incan origins. There is archaeological evidence that elite women were responsible for brewing in the

Wari culture The Wari () were a Pre-Inca cultures, Middle Horizon civilization that flourished in the south-central Andes and coastal area of modern-day Peru, from about 500 to 1000 AD. Wari ruins, Wari, as the former capital city was called, is located no ...

(600 to 1000 AD). In 1796, John Boston created a corn beer, the first fermented alcohol beverage commercially produced in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. A recipe for corn beer appears in ''Resources of the Southern Fields and Forests, Medical, Economical, and Agricultural'' (1863) by Francis Peyre Porcher. Italian beers Peroni and Nastro Azzuro are made from maize and barley malt. KEO beer from Cyprus is also made with maize, giving a characteristically bitter taste.

Varieties

Chicha is popular in Peru and is served in

Arequipa Arequipa (; Aymara language, Aymara and ), also known by its nicknames of ''Ciudad Blanca'' (Spanish for "White City") and ''León del Sur'' (Spanish for "South's Lion"), is a city in Peru and the capital of the eponymous Arequipa (province), ...

's picanterías.León, Rafo and Billy Hare
Chicha peruana: una bebida, una cultura.
Universidad de San Martín de Porres, Fondo Editorial, 2008: 49-74. (retrieved through Google Books, July 28, 2015) Tesguino is a corn beer made by the Tarahumara people of the

Sierra Madre Occidental The Sierra Madre Occidental is a major mountain range system of the North American Cordillera, that runs northwest–southeast through northwestern and western Mexico, and along the Gulf of California. The Sierra Madre is part of the American C ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. It is brewed for local celebrations related to

Holy Week Holy Week () commemorates the seven days leading up to Easter. It begins with the commemoration of Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, marks the betrayal of Jesus on Spy Wednesday (Holy Wednes ...

. For the Tarahumara, the beer is an elixir for healing and a barter item and is considered a sacred beverage.

Umqombothi Umqombothi (), is a South African traditional type of beer made from maize (corn), maize malt, sorghum malt, yeast, and water. The beer has a rather low content of Ethanol, alcohol (usually less than 3%) but a high content of vitamin B, B vitami ...

is the

Xhosa language Xhosa ( , ), formerly spelled ''Xosa'' and also known by its local name ''isiXhosa'', is a Bantu language, indigenous to Southern Africa and one of the official languages of South Africa and Zimbabwe. Xhosa is spoken as a first language ...

word for a corn beer made in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

from

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

(corn), maize malt, sorghum malt, yeast and water.

References

{{Corn Types of beer Maize-based drinks Australian inventions Australian alcoholic drinks

History

Varieties

See also

References