“that animal that fears the future and has a desire for fermented beverages”- Brillat-Savarin, gourmande and author of La physiologie du goût (The Physiology of Taste), describing mankind

Andy and I recently met with the boys down at Right Brain Brewery to discuss a joint venture in the form of a beer dinner, which is planned for April 11th, 2010.

Of course, John and Russ take their beer brewing very seriously. They use only the best ingredients available, with a focus on local and seasonal products (sound familiar?).

Considering that beer is a food and I am a cook, I decided I needed to educate myself a bit more about their craft. Some research was in order. Not the beer drinking kind of research, as you might suspect, but actually studying about beer. I started at the library (vs. the internet), as I prefer reading books to reading a computer screen.

Although the selection was limited, a book entitled “Real Beer and Good Eats: The Rebirth of America’s Beer and Food Traditions” specifically caught my eye because one of the authors is Bruce Aidells (the other being Denis Kelly), chef-owner of Aidells Sausage Company. Figuring that the book is written from a chef’s perspective, and with history, brewing techniques and recipes at it’s core, I felt I couldn’t go wrong.

Some points of interest from the book I have already encountered:

-Ninkasi  is the Sumarian Goddess of Beer.

-Early sailors carried beer aboard ship to drink in place of foul water and prevent scurvy.

-It has been stated that beer, bread and onions built the pyramids.

-Beer was an essential part of the diet of the European peasant.

-The Vikings brewed a special portage ale to provide the strength necessary for the great portage around Kiev.

-In colonial America, beer was drunk at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Special beers have always been brewed for special occasions- Bridal Ale for weddings, Wassail for Christmas, etc. The authors even located a recipe for Cock Ale, “which calls for a rooster beaten in a bag and put into the mash, presumably to add more body and character, perhaps to stiffen the resolve of aging and feeble bridegrooms.” I don’t know why, but I really enjoyed reading about that one!

As an interesting side note, brewing was usually done ” in the home as an adjunct to baking” and therefore was the job of the woman of the house. Early taverns in England were run by these brewesses, or alewives, who “advertised their wares by hanging an alestake (most likely a primitive tap or strainer) over their doors”.

Modern beer making originated in monasteries of Europe, where the monks used new technology to brew beers that were “biologically more stable and decidedly more palatable than earlier, cruder ales.” These brewer-monks are responsible for the addition of hops, the discovery that brewing in cooler conditions yields better, cleaner brews, and also developed special yeasts which were effective at cooler temperatures, allowing them to brew during the winter months.

This is where Ale and Lager parted ways- Ale being the strong, dark, old-fashioned English brew, drunk after only a few days of fermentation, and Lager being the sophisticated European style, with the addition of hops, a lighter body, and typically aged before it is consumed.

Hops are not only added to impart a bitter flavor which contrasts with other flavors inherent to the brew (namely malt), but also acts as a preservative.

In modern times, Ale is a robust “high-hopped brew made with the older style yeast that ferments at warm temperatures.” Lager, refers to the lighter, more delicate brews “made with the cold fermenting yeast originally developed by German monks.”  Right Brain Brewery is a low volume, high quality brewer of ales.

So I am learning a lot of interesting things about beer. I am a lover of beer and a lover of learning. I invite all comments- let’s get a beer discussion going…and in the meantime, raise a pint to the new year!