Archaeological evidence of beer-making is often hard to come by because most of the tools used in beer production — such as mortars, querns and winnowing baskets—are often linked to bread-making, and the possible connection to beer is sometimes overlooked. Indeed, the production of bread and beer were intimately linked. The artistic record from ancient Egypt clearly depicts women producing beer at the same time as they made bread. In the ancient world, beer was typically produced by women, most often in domestic contexts.
Michael M. Homan, “Did the Ancient Israelites Drink Beer?”, Biblical Archaeology Review vol. 36, no. 5 (September/October 2010), 54.