History of the Week

Alcohol History Links August 12 - 19
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Aging Lager for 9 months

In-depth discussion on a lager brewed in the 1970s, with some good history of lager bier. 

"Is lager beer aged two months vs. six or nine as in old times, just as good? What about beer given two weeks storage if that? I’ve asked that question of brewers many times. Most seem convinced long-aging isn’t needed and on the theory (which I’ve bruited myself) that fresh beer is best, aging time can be shortened."
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Drinking in the US

"Rorabaugh writes that the Europeans who traveled to North America in the 1600s were already heavy drinkers. Because imported beer was expensive, colonists fermented peach juice and apple cider, and imported rum from the West Indies. In Virginia, barbecues, market days, and elections were a chance to pass around jugs of liquor. In 1770, many Americans opened the day with a drink and consumed rum or hard cider with every meal. People of all ages drank, even toddlers, who enjoyed the sugary dregs of their parents’ rum toddies."
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Hops in the USSR

A brief history of a hop growing region in Russia.
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Viking-inspired beer

"Bjorn named the infusion beer “Drakenvit” which is our flagship Venture Pils infused with Norwegian aquavit inspired spices including caraway, fennel, cardamom, pink peppercorn, and citrus peel."
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Pulque 

A quick story on the resurrection of Pulque
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Amphora Drinking Scene

"The Hubbard Amphora is a Cypriot vessel decorated with a drinking scene in which an enthroned individual drinks from a vessel using a bent straw. Th Early Iron Age amphora (ca. 800 BCE) is currently housed in the Cyprus Museum in Nicosia (1938-XI/2/3)."