Maybe this is more of an anthropology question than a history question, but I'll go with it anyways.
The earliest records in my own research I can find to alcohol date to between 8000-6000 BC, yet I've read a couple articles recently suggesting that very early pottery from up to 16000-18000 BC was used to ferment alcoholic beverages. They're not from the most scholarly sources, and mostly mention the alcohol as a side note, but I'm wondering how these could possibly match up given the very disparate eras. Is there any possibility alcoholic drinks are much older than previously suggested?
"There is ample evidence of small-scale fruit wine production during the Neolithic and possibly the Paleolithic Era (Stanislawski 1975: 429). Alcohol occurs naturally when fruits freeze and thaw repeatedly or when fruit accumulates under the right conditions, and many species of birds and primates alter their feeding behavior in order to access seasonal quantities of alcoholic fruits (Poo 1999: 124). Foraging societies often have knowledge of alcohol preparation, but are unable to produce alcohol on demand throughout the year. Indeed, many foraging and horticultural tribes around the world today produce alcohol periodically, but on a far diminished scale compared to agricultural societies."
http://www.eaines.com/archaeology/the-archaeology-of-ancient-alcohol/
Given that many animals deliberately seek out natural occurring alcohol, even without evidence it seems likely that early humans would do the same.
hiya, this sub does have an expert on the history of alcohol, but if you don't get an answer here, or if you simply want broader exposure for this question, consider x-posting to our sister sub /r/AskAnthropology