History of the Week

Alcohol History Links Feb 3 - 10
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Immigration and the American Brewing INdustry

Brian Alberts (of Brewed Culture fame) thoughts on the recent Budweiser super bowl ad.

"Beer also holds another legacy that the advertisement overlooks—how modern American beer, the kind that millions of Americans will consume on Sunday, is a product of immigrant activism and entrepreneurship. In the 1850s, beer became a cultural battleground for German immigrants to defend not only their right to participate in American political and economic life, but also their very presence in the U.S."

Be sure to catch his interview with Michael Smerconish!
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Adolphus Busch

Getting past the clever marketing and revealing the real life of Adolphus Busch.

"​As always, reality, even in a brewing context, is sobering: he came from a well-off family; he received a “patrimony”, or inheritance, which permitted his start in business; and he retained significant links to the country of his origin, where he passed away at a castle he owned after years of a debilitating illness."
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Red Casks

Boak & Bailey try to answer the question as to why some cask ends were painted red.
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Millet Wine

Your weekly translation from the good folks at Brewing Classical, following their millet theme. 
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Austrian Farmhouse Ales

A look into farmhouse ales in Austria, and why it seemed to not catch on.

"So, for centuries, brewing in parts of Austria has been absolutely dominated by cities and market towns, which had exclusive brewing rights. Already towards the end of the middle ages there were efforts to stop farmers from brewing beer, and since no farmhouse brewing is recorded since then, it seems like it was quite successful."
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Chinese Beer

Archaeology students brew some beer in accordance to available technology and recent residue analysis from Chinese ceramics.
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Brewing in Portsmouth

A new book detailing the history of brewing in Portsmouth, Ohio.

Evolution of Yeast

A look at yeast genomics and how it relates to the history of beer.
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Brewing on Display

To show the importance bread and beer played in past societies, PhD student Lara Gonzalez Carretero put together an exhibit at the Petrie Museum at University College London.

"​We chose a loaf of bread from Hatshepsut’s tomb in Deir el Bahri (ca. 1458 BC), beer residue from inside a ceramic vessel and emmer wheat spikelets. Emmer, an ancient crop originated in the Near East, was domesticated 12,000 years ago in Syria as new archaeobotanical research has recently shown (Arranz-Oteagui et al. 2016); and it was also, together with barley, the staple crop in ancient Egypt used by the community on a daily basis."

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Missed Post
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Brewing in Williamsburg

This one accidentally slipped through, but interesting nonetheless! Recent excavations in Williamsburg, Brooklyn found a few brewing caverns belonging to a Sebastian Schnaderbeck.