Also, hops were probably used first and foremost for bittering. Without hops, beer would be cloyingly sweet. Hops are generally added for 3 properties: bittering, flavor and aroma. The preservative properties of hops were not known when hops were first used, but are a fortunate side effect that lead to many excellent beers.

And yes Huckabrew, barely wine is a beer style. Also there are numerous styles of beer that can have high alcohol content, not just barley wine, so it is not true that beers over a certain ABV are considered barley wine.

Karin,

Dogfish Head also produces and ever older brew, called Chateau Jiahu, which is based on a 9000 year old recipe from China.

http://dogfish.com/brewings/Occasional_Rarities/Chateau_Jiahu/25/index.htm