Early French Were Beer Lovers

French people proud of their country's wine-making heritage may be surprised to learn that their nation holds one of the oldest beer-making sites ever found in Europe. The Celtic people who inhabited what is now the Provence region appear to have been just as fond of beer as they were of wine, say researchers who have unearthed a "home-brew" operation in a dwelling dating from 500 BC, reports Discovery.

"From what we can tell, it was processed in a way that was close to traditional beer-brewing techniques and was not so different from modern homemade beers," says a report by researchers, although not enough is known about the additives used to be able to know what the Iron Age brew tasted like. The researchers believe that the evidence of ancient beer-making likely explains why barley was the area's principal crop. (More brewery stories.)