| Beer and the Civilized World by John Shellenberg |
Most likely you have heard the phrase "accident is the mother of all invention," and in the world of beer that certainly holds true. To help understand how this accident relates to beer, pretend you are taking a trip back in time to when the Mediterranean was the main seat of civilization. Here, barley was abundant and a mainstay in people's diets. Due to the favorable climate in this region, barley was the basic ingredient in breads, cakes, and other food products. One day a farmer left some barley outside when it rained and he discovered that if barley was allowed to get wet, germinate, then dry out, the resulting product would be sweeter and less perishable than the original barley. This sweet result of what the farmer thought to be a disaster turned out to be what we today call malted barley. When malted barley becomes wet, the starches and sugars in it respond to wild yeast thus starting spontaneous fermentation. When the owner tasted this mixture of mash and yeast, he thought it tasted pretty good and without realizing it, he brewed the first beer. This farmer's experimentation with malt and yeast set up the groundwork for brewing. As unlikely as this may sound, some scholars have said this is precisely the way that beer was discovered and some historians even go as far as saying that cultivation of barley for beer making is what made people settle in one region, study agriculture, develop calendars, and make important historic discoveries that framed civilization. Historians confirm a suggestion that beer has been common since the beginning of the civilized world. Historical evidence has shown that the Babylonians studied types of barley in 6000 B.C. In Mesopotamia, there is evidence of the brewing and consumption of beer written on clay tablets that are said to date back to 4000 B.C. This beer was called Sikaru or grain wine, and they even had a goddess of brewing named Nin-Bi. In Mesopotamia, pictograms have been found that show early beer recipes, and later when the Romans colonized what is now Europe they introduced the people to beer and wine making. "Cerevisia" the Roman word for beer came from the goddess of agriculture and the Latin word for "Strength." As time passed and civilizations grew, beer production came under the watchful eye of the Roman church. At one old monastery in Rome, above the doorway there is a well known inscription that states, "in heaven there is no beer, that is why we drink it here." As time passed, it was the monks who were beer's first researchers and helped to refine brewing methods, but very little was known about how yeast completed the brewing cycle. Early beer makers believed the art of brewing was a mystery equally regarded as the feat of turning water into a magical drink. A main ingredient of beer that was well known was the hops. These were used in cooking as far back as the Roman times. Hops have been used in beer making by monks as early as the 800's and by 1400 they were used in Flemish beer imported into England. Possibly the most widely known event in brewing history was the establishment of German brewing standards in the late 15th century. This brought on the "Reinheitgebot" of 1516 which is the most famous of the beer purity laws. This pledge was set up by William VI of Bavaria and it stated that beer can only be made with four ingredients: water, malted barley, malted wheat, and hops. Beer even had a small role in the settling of America, on the Mayflower the pilgrims wrote in a journal stating "our victuals have been much spent, especially beer." New technology such as identifying yeast structures and glass making has allowed brewing to catch on all over the world. Many different styles of beers such as ales, porters, lagers, stouts, alts, and lambics can be made with ingredients found locally in every region around the glove. The beer type I like best is the lager; this is a beer that should be aged at least 6 to 8 weeks at cooler temperatures than ales. Lagers are made with more malt, are lighter in color and alcohol content, and contain fewer hops. Lager means "to store" in German. I was trying to find 1 beer from each of the brewing continents to write about, but was unable to get a beer from Africa or South America. First brewed in Melbourne, Australia in 1888, Fosters lager is now enjoyed in over 150 countries. Fosters is an award winning flavorful lager with some backbone. It now has a brewery in Toronto, Canada (where the U.S. version likely comes from) and this beer will go well with spicy Mexican food. Sapporo premium is a beer very light in color and carbonation that is from Japan's oldest brewery. Brewed since 1876, this brewery was founded by the Japanese government but is now privately owned and a second brewery is located in Tokyo. My North American beer is from Boston and is the Sam Adams Black Lager. Besides being one of the founding patriots in U.S. History, Sam also dabbled in beer making. I had not tried a black lager before, but being a fan of this brewery, I wanted to give it a try. My beer from Europe is another that I had not tried before. It is La Rossa from Comun Nuovo, Italy. Being known as a producer of wine more than beer is one of Italy's traits. Many of the quality beer styles from around the world are being enjoyed in the U.S. due to the emergence of many brew-pubs and micro-breweries. Maybe one day the popular tastes will help dictate a return to the small regional breweries of old. |
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