Drink to Ninkasi", a prayer to the Mesopotamian goddess of beer, served as both a prayer and as a method of remembering the recipe for beer in a culture with few literate people. Today, the brewing industry is a global business, consisting of several dominant multinational companies and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries. Cider is a fermented alcoholic drink made from fruit juice, most commonly and traditionally apple juice, but also the juice of peaches, pears ("Perry" cider) or other fruit. Cider may be made from any variety of apple, but certain cultivars grown solely
Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (Virginia ABC, or previously known as the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control) is one of the eleven public safety agencies under the Secretariat of Public Safety and Homeland Security for the Commonwealth. The agency administers the state's ABC laws (created by the General Assembly) with an emphasis on public service and a focus on protecting citizens by ensuring a safe, orderly and regulated system for convenient distribution and responsible consumption of alcohol. The agency is a leading revenue producer for Virginia. The profits that Virginia ABC contributes—collected from