As good brewers you know that the origin of beer dates back many centuries. We told you about it in our last article, it is more than likely that the Three Kings of the East (or their Sumerian contemporaries) drank beer. Or something similar, because what was taken in the past was more of an infusion (more or less alcoholic) of cereals...
To get to beer as we know it today, many centuries, historical circumstances and various discoveries have been needed. Logically, these advances took place heterogeneously in different parts of the world, mainly in Europe, which is where this drink took root the most. In each region, with its new recipes and inventions, its own Beer School was created.
Today, we can enjoy every style of beer imaginable, but to get there, these national “schools” had to interact with each other and enrich each other. We are going to tell you a little about each one.
The German School: regulatory laws and cold
On April 23, 1516, Wilhelm IV of Bavaria promulgated the famous (if you are a brewer) Law of Purity, which established that beer could only be made from three ingredients: water, malted barley and hops .
This occurred for two reasons. On the one hand, various herbs were added to the beer, and as there was no regulation there was quite a lack of control, which even caused intoxication. On the other hand, and perhaps the most curious reason, is that they wanted to prevent wheat from being used to make beer, since they wanted to reserve it for making bread.
This stopped the production of one of Germany's most characteristic styles, the wheat beers (with their characteristic banana smell). But luckily they weren't lost.
A few years later, in 1539, the prohibition of brewing from April to September was established, since in these warmer months the beer spoiled. As we already told you in the article on inventions that brought us beer, the first refrigeration system for this drink did not arrive until 1873. With the development of large industrial refrigeration equipment, Lager beers, which is the most characteristic style of the German School, began to be produced on ever larger scales, until they became the most consumed in the world.
The English School: Porter, the most popular for centuries
From the 17th century to the mid-19th century all Europeans drank Porter, the most famous beer in the UK (and beyond). This ale was already brewed with hops and roasted malt and became wildly popular with porters working the London markets, hence its name.
These black beers were the first to be produced industrially (in fact, their greatest development was during the period of industrialization). One of the characteristics of this style is that it was made in huge wooden vats, which allowed for better temperature control. It is still served this way in many pubs today, straight from the barrel.
The Czech School: Pilsen, the style that swept away
The current Czech Republic shared a region, climate and history with Germany. Also a great beer tradition.
That is why it is not surprising that lager beers were given a twist here and in the 19th century the style Pilsen was developed (which takes its name from its hometown).The success of this style was so great that it quickly began to be manufactured in Germany and throughout Europe, where it superseded the English dark beer
The Belgian School: fermentation and monks
Another country inseparable from beer is Belgium. Historically it has been their national drink and they have a large number of styles and variants. That is why it is difficult to determine some general characteristics of the beers of the Belgian School. But if we had to sum it up in two words, it would be fermentation and monks.
Fermentation because the Belgian School differs from the rest in brewing, where fermentation is the central axis of it. They developed up to four different fermentation methods: low, high, spontaneous and mixed. Two of them, spontaneous fermentation and mixed fermentation, are exclusive to the country.
Apart from the fermentations, which will produce a large number of styles, Belgium is closely associated with the production of beers in its monasteries and abbeys. These Trappist beers are the most representative and widespread of the Belgian School, being Dubbel and Tripel the best known styles.
The American School: recovery of the old recipes
Legend has it that on the first settler ships that set out from
England to America, there were already barrels of beer. What is clear is that it was one of the most popular drinks in the new continent, but, again, we doubt that they were beers as we know them today.
At the end of the 19th century, German immigrants who settled in the country developed versions of European Pilsners. They were classified under the style American Lager, which was the one that gave rise to the other Lager beers of mass industrial production throughout the world.
But perhaps the great contribution of the American School was from the 80s, which is when the craft movement began, and putting the focus on artisan elaboration. It was also thanks to the American School that the Indian Pale Ale style was developed, a category of beer that, with its sweet and surprising flavors, has many followers today.
In the coming months we will go deeper into each of these Schools.
Do you think you could guess the origin of your favorite style of beer? If you don't know, don't worry, at beersapiens we love spreading the beer culture and we're going to tell you everything!
Sources: malbainsumos.com, delgranoalacopa.com
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