Breweries

America’s Beer roots lead back to the brewing traditions of the “European Old World.” Although most of the bier Americans drink is a quality-brewed product, the variety and style have evolved and been dramatically altered. Nevertheless, the factors that have influenced the taste of American bier and that of bier through out the world haven’t changed for over 4500 years.
In the beginning of beer history, the household was the primary source of bier, followed by the small-town brewery. Eventually today’s large breweries evolved. Much has been gained, though much has been lost.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the things that have been lost and why most bier tastes the way it does.

A Long, Long Time Ago

It all began at home.
Historians have surmised that long, long ago, in the early days of the Mesopotamian and Egyptian cultures, the first bier was brewed. It was a home brew.
Barley was one of the staple grains of the various Mediterranean cultures. It grew well in that climate and was used as the main ingredients in various breads and cakes. People soon discovered that if barley was wetted, allowed to germinate and subsequently dried, the resulting grain would taste sweeter, and more nutritional and less perishable. This was probably discovered quite by accident when some inattentive member of the household left a basket of grain out in the rain and then tried to salvage the mess by drying it. Inadvertently, what was made was malted barley. It wasn’t such a mistake after all. As a matter of fact, it made for me pleasant bread and porridges.
It was inevitable that someone would leave their porridge, malted barley flour or bread in the rain. The dissolved sugars and starches were fair game for yeasts in the air. Soon, the yeasts began to ferment the “malt soup.” When the mysteriously bubbly concoction was consumed, it was with pleasant surprise that the household felt a mysterious inner peace with their surroundings. Furthermore, the fermentation process added nutritional benefits to the diet. However crude the process may have been, the firs “bier” had been brewed.
The mildly alcoholic beverage soon became a significant part of the culture of the Egyptians and Mesopotamians, while other native societies simultaneously discovered the joy of naturally fermented drink. Alcohol was not understood. Neither was yeast. But magically these beverages bubbled and made people feel, perhaps, godlike. It is not surprising, then, that religious significance became attached to these gifts of visions. One can easily imagine the ceremonial significance that fermented beverages played in such cultures as the Egyptian, Aztecan, and Incan. Rice biers, millet biers, barley biers, honey biers, corn biers, and even the Eskimos had a mildly alcoholic fermented reindeer’s milk.
It all began at home, and throughout the would households brewed their own for thousands of years. But as towns and cities developed, home brewing activity began to diminish, especially in Western cultures.
As towns developed, good drinking was became scarcer. Bier, with its mild alcoholic content, was the one of the few liquids safe to during and thus in great demand. At the same time small-town brewers began to relieve the household of the essential task of making bier.

“Variety and Style”

Because of the development of the small-town brewery, distinctive biers became indigenous to a region, rather then to every household. Slowly, the variability of climate, agriculture and human activity began to express itself more profoundly. During this transition form household to small brewery, modern-day bier came into historic perspective. The centralization of brewing served to consolidate regional trends.
Lets take a look at some of the factors that influence the taste of bier. To a great extent, indigenous ingredients and climate give beers throughout the world much of their distinctive regional character. Different strains of barley and the availability of other grains influenced the character of each region’s bier. Yeast strains indigenous to an area greatly affect the product brewed. The availability of herbs or hops also characterizes regional biers. For example, biers brewed in those areas with an abundance of bops have a more pronounced hop character. The delicate style of the original Pilsener Urquell from the Czech Republic may be attributed to the character of the water as well as to the native ingredients. There are literally hundreds of styles of Belgian bier, and for many “it’s not the water” but a variety of yeasts that are allowed to naturally introduce fermentation to each brewery’s bier. The result? Distinctive flavors that are difficult to reproduced elsewhere in the world. Agricultural and climatic conditions surely must have influenced a style of bier called wheat bier, brewed in Germany and now (thanks to home brewers) in the United States.
Human activity has a significant influence on bier styles. For example, bock bier is a strong bier that originated in the German town of Einbeck. It was a bier that gained favor with royalty and was transported great distances for their pleasure. Its high alcohol content prevented the bier from spoiling. It was very different from the low-alcohol beverages often brewed for local consumption. Likewise, India Pale Ale was a style of strong ale brewed in Great Britain for the purpose of providing the British troops with good ale while they tent, both contributing preservative qualities to bier. Consequently, human activity warranted the brewing of stronger biers, in order to help preserve it during long transports.
Throughout history, other human factors, such as economics and shortages of ingredients, have influenced styles of bier. When wartime priorities were given to feeding troops, a shortage of grain resulted in a shortage of bier and/or a diluted product. Especially evident today in various parts of the world is the effect of high taxation on brewing styles. Of course, bier contains alcohol and in most countries alcohol is taxed. So, naturally, the more alcohol in the bier the more it is taxed, and the more it costs mot only the brewery but the bier drinker. This situation can be seen most clearly in Ireland, where the world-famous Guinness Stout is brewed. Without a doubt, the locally available stuff is delicious, but upon investigation one discovers that the alcoholic content does not exceed 3 percent. Over 60 percent of the price of a pint of Guinness in Ireland is tax. The Guinness “Export” Stout that is made for export is taxed at a lower rate; therefore, it is higher in alcohol and a very, very different product. Draught Guinness, however, is now exported at the same alcohol level, due to its growing popularity.

American Bier

What is American Bier? Today’s most popular style of “American bier” is a light-colored, light-bodied lager bier, a style very different from the American bier of yesteryear. Through the years, it has been very much influenced by agricultural, climatic, economic, political and cultural factors.
Before Prohibition, thousands of breweries existed in America, each supplying their respective regions with distinctive styles and freshly made bier. There were, as well, millions of people home brewing quality biers. The healthy diversity of bier styles must have been wonderful to experience. One imagines that there was a genuine sharing of kinship among brewers, whether they were home brewers of professionals. It must have been that important feeling that went into the bier that made all the difference.
Between January 1920 and December 1933, the United States suffered through Prohibition and the dark ages of bier. When it was over, only the lager breweries had survived by making malt products for the food industry. Low budget operations combined with equipment left idle and in disrepair for over a decade contributed to the demise of the smaller, local breweries.
What emerged was an industry of lager breweries. They were still somewhat anxious about the prevailing attitude toward alcohol. As incredible as this may seem, many of the richer styles of American bier were not brewed, in an attempt by the breweries to market bier that would appeal to women.
Mass marketing began to rear its foaming head in search of the perfect bier that would appeal to the most people. Never mind diversity. Never mind variety. Never mind the traditional ideals that American brewers had developed for more then 150 years. Never mind choice.
Then came World War II. A shortage of war material necessitated that scrapping of steel, some of which was idle brewery equipment. A Shortage of food diminished bier production. The bier that was made had less malt in it. Many men were out fighting a war, and the bier drinkers back home were mainly women.
A lighter style of bier was thus beginning to gain popularity in the United States-and justifiably so. Wit the warm climate that we in the States enjoy for half a year; a lighter bier can be a refreshing experience. With the agricultural abundance of corn and rice here, these ingredients have found their way more and more into American bier, lightening the taste and body. If it’s well brewed and you enjoy it, there is absolutely nothing wrong with this kind of bier. But it is only one type of bier brewed in the world among perhaps hundreds of other different types of bier.
What we were missing until the home brewing revival and the emergence of micro brewing and craft bier was, sadly, choice. The economics of mass marketing had indeed influenced what was offered.
Now we see an incredible variety of bier available throughout the United States; American-made specialty craft bier as well as imported bier from around the world.

The Complete Joy of Home Brewing by Charlie Papazian