After water and tea, beer is the most consumed beverage in the world and the folks who brew it have always held a special place in my heart. When boiling the grain in the first step of brewing, a long paddle or rake is used to stir the frothy mixture and keep the temperature even throughout the mash tun.  Many inventions have altered the brewing industry with bottling being one of the most impactful.  The ability to bottle beer allowed the big breweries we know today to widely distribute their beer, taking over many of the small town breweries.  The microbrewery movement has reversed this trend and reinvigorated our love of local brew. Cheers to that!