Alcoholic Beverages: I. Beer

Abstract

The production, and consumption, of alcoholic beverages is one of man’s oldest activities. Today brewing, wine making and distilling are of major commercial importance in many non-Islamic countries and, through taxation, can be an important source of government revenue. At the same time it must be recognized that excess consumption of alcohol leads to serious social and medical problems for individuals as well as loss to the national economy through loss of productivity, cost of medical treatment, etc.