As has been pointed out on this thread, the grinding of grain for flour came after the domestication, so the evidence indeed points to fermented spirits. You're a man who will not take yes for an answer!!
I have read this and it seems to fit. One other aspect, the bible, with its rules for living in close quarters with the other farmers and brewers seems to fit as well. While a tribe could move on, there was little reason for a set of rules involving coveting of one's neighbor's wife or servant, or still.
Of course to have a still and the grain to ferment meant living a life without much travel. My ancestors in the pacific northwest were reported to be the only tribe in the new world who were able to sustain life in a single area without periodic migrations. So they could have fermented grapes and berries. (I guess thats where I get an affection for the products of the grape and grain). But I'm always struggling with my body's desire to store food for the upcoming possible famine.
I'll drink to that.