The Brewing Classical team is back with their weekly translations!
​

A look into beer reviews in Australia, with an interesting dichotomy.

"​Yet the 1844 story, written nine years after brewing commenced, praises Tooth`s all-malt beer and claims much local beer was sold as English and no one knew the difference. I cited sources earlier which argued (1860s) that Australian brewing was certainly up to the task, but social snobbery resulted in the product being viewed as second-class."
​

A look into newspaper clippings from the late 1800's on early signs of lager brewed in Britain.

A great rundown of the brewing styles of Norway.

"In Norway the farmhouse ale used to be called "maltøl" in most of the country. The name simply means "malt beer," which might seem odd, since the definition of beer is that it's made from malts. However, a century ago "øl" (beer) was used for many different drinks: maltøl, sirupsøl (syrup beer), bjørkesevjeøl (birch sap beer), sukkerøl (sugar beer), and so on. In each case, the modifier in front stated what the fermentable was. It seems these were all considered beer simply because they were weaker than wine. In any case "maltøl" was the beer made from malts.

Let me make one thing very clear: kveik is the yeast, not the beer. If you want to say "Norwegian farmhouse ale" in Norwegian, then call it "maltøl." However, that's a bit like saying "English ale" or "Belgian beer". There are several styles, and they're very different from one another."
​

A brief look at the history of Gin in England, circa 1700s.
​

Thanks to a $5,000 grant from the local historical society, a wealth of artwork and memorabilia from the Olympia Brewing Co. will now be cataloged and preserved at the Olympia Tumwater Foundation.
​

A nice introduction to a local beer style from Mechuka, India.

A great summary of the farmhouse ales brewed on Gotland, an island off of Sweden. I wish a full on archaeological review of Gotland would be carried out, seems like it could be used as supporting evidence for medieval brewing in Europe.
​

"I’d like Justin C. MacCartie to be remembered for his renaissance quality. And the brewing book is a good one, it shows in every line that he truly knew what good beer was – not all brewing writers do. This comes out in many ways. He supported use of native hops over the “trash” from England, not because English hops were inferior, but the voyage rendered them much lesser to what they were in England. He was prepared to say so when many were not, clearly."
​

As I am sure some of you are aware, Carlsberg recently recreated one of their old recipes by using the original pure yeast culture and a historic strain of barley. The following is an interview with a scientist who worked on said project.
​

A good summary of the findings at the Godin Tepe archaeological site, with a nice mention of the residue analysis which showed that beer was being made on site.
​

A great summary of the history of the brewing industry in Wisconsin.

"​Wisconsinites can thank political upheaval in Germany during the late 1840s for the start of the state’s brewery boom.

According to brewery historian Rich Rossin, riots, famine and land disputes in Germany in 1848 led many young men with business aspirations to migrate to Wisconsin, the same year the state was admitted to the union.

“The first wave of German immigrants who came over here were called “’48ers,”’ Rossin said. “They spoke up against the political powers in Germany and were told to leave. In the 1850s, many German immigrants came to New York first and then eventually to Wisconsin. They used Milwaukee as a spring board into the rest of the state. Milwaukee had tons of German brewers in the 1840s and 50s. It became oversaturated."

It being that time of year we submit ourselves to the will of giant metal tubes blasting through the air at hundreds of miles an hour, one begins to contemplate where they've been and where they're going to. 

2016 was a bit of a wild ride: joblessness to employment, traveling to Italy and Poland, starting a blog to writing freelance. From a personal career standpoint, 2016 has been a good year.

It was time to say goodbye and head home. Leaving my partner and Berlin, I entered the calm hours of the early morning. No one here besides those who work terrible hours and the few travelers who decided to buy that competitive ticket at 5 30 in the morning. 

My destination: California.

At the beginning of 2016, I was still looking for a job and getting desperate; anything to cement me in Europe. I felt I had to stay here. This is the place for the beginnings of Western beer culture and where I know I’ll eventually make my mark. 

Thankfully, I was hired for a biotech job. One which lets me hone my writing skills, albeit in a marketing tone. Yet now I can plan: which schools to apply to, which breweries to volunteer for, which mentor to follow, where I want to go with my life here in Europe. 
​

​Entering the airport, you come face to face with herd mentality. Stampedes charging off to their flights, competing with each other to see who can walk the fastest. Then, full stop. Line - check into the flight - line - security - line - wait because someone let their child have a fit - passport check - then, finally to the gate. Another horde of people going to and fro, pushing their way to where they need to go. Then, turning down a corridor, I find myself alone. For some reason, no one is here. Face to face with modernity, announcements playing over the loudspeaker in different languages, planes pass by overhead, strange lighting - I begin to feel like I’m in a sci-fi movie as I reach my destination. 

Time to wait, flight’s delayed.

​Leaving LAX, I'm hit with that all too familiar LA air. I step into my mom’s car - which I’ve entered countless times before - feels somehow new, somehow different. The sun shines brighter down here, but maybe that's just me.

I am asked to give a talk about the archaeology of brewing to a female-only craft beer club, which, given beer’s history, is oddly appropriate. My main points: beer is our cultural heritage, requires serious study, but should be enjoyed and taken lightly. In sum: it is always about the beer; it is never about the beer.
​

This past year I decided to write more about beer, in hopes to show people the heritage behind beer and brewing. I have had the privilege to interview fascinating people, write on topics from a malting facility in iron age Germany to the trials of brewing for women in Africa, and to participate in fun blog writing groups, all the while learning more about beer.

This year will see more interviews, more traveling, more and more about brewing archaeology, and, once I get my system up and running, actual brewing. My Father showed me a homebrew setup which would work perfectly in my apartment. Seeing that it’s close to my old homebrew system, I feel daft for not thinking of it before. 

In any case, it will allow me to do what I love most: brew beer.

Here’s to the start of 2017!