Sip Salon: Bananas to Beer: Fermentation, Microbes, and Origins of Drinking

Welcome to the Sip Salon where we gather to learn together through articles and discussion. No experts, just curious folks coming together to discuss topics. Whether you know a little or a lot, we hope to grow together in our understandings. With drinks.

This month - From Bananas to Beer: Fermentation, Microbes, and the Origins of Drinking

Why do humans drink—and when did it all begin? Long before the first brewery, primates were sniffing out ripe, fermented fruit for a calorie boost. The “drunken monkey hypothesis” suggests that our attraction to alcohol may be millions of years old, rooted in the biology of survival. But fermentation is more than just booze: it’s one of humanity’s oldest technologies, shaping everything from our diets and health to our cultures and communities.

In this Siposium Salon, we’ll trace the surprising role of microbes in human evolution, explore how fermentation changed what we eat and who we are, and consider what it means for our diets today and in the future. From wild chimps sipping fermented fruit to the sourdough starter in your kitchen, microbes have always been at the table. Come ready to rethink your relationship with food, drink, and the unseen microbial world that makes it all possible.

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