Craft Beer: An Introduction

Before I indulge into the pleasure of discussing a brief introduction of craft beer further on in this post, I would like to point out that this particular blog is my 4th attempt at trying to document my journey with craft beer and give regular, comprehensive beer reviews. So, if you know me either personally or through my blogs, you will know I am an absolute ''beer knob'' (as referred to within craft communities), but I would also like to educate those who would like to start drinking craft - or simply do it for fun. 

History and Early Brewing

From my own personal experience, craft beer has been associated with elitism and pretentiousness; which indeed, is correct if you go to Brewdog or wander around the streets of Soho. However, craft beer should be accessible to anyone and everyone and should never have been made an elitist or an exclusive thing; craft beer is about your own individual experience and essentially drinking for fun. 

For beer enthusiasts, trying to imagine a world without beer is like trying to imagine a world without a sky or the stars above. However beer has been part of human life for as long as we know it, and sometimes beer is taken for granted; in fact too often. Beer is one of the oldest and most popular drinks known to man. It is thought that about 10,000 years ago in the Middle East, nomadic people began to grow and harvest grain and set up settlements near fields. Some archeologists believe the reason man did this was to make beer. 

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An ancient oral poem from Babylonia called Gilgamesh Epic tells the story of the civilising influence of brewing. First told some of 4,000 years ago, it is the story of Enkidu, an uncivilised man who was taught to eat bread and drink beer. Enkidu drank seven cups of beer and his ''heart soared''. According to the legend, he washed and became a refined human being - beer had tamed him. 

The first records of brewing are in the Middle East in Mesopotamia with the Sumerians 6,000 years ago. At least 3,000 years before the Christian era, an intoxicating drink, made from grains, was providing nutrition to people in Egypt. The writings of the Roman historian Pliny record that a fermented drink made from corn and water was drunk regularly across much of northern Europe. 

As well as enjoyment, there was a religious side to early beer brewing, and around the world today in tribal communities there are still social ceremonies where an ancient form of beer is drunk. These ceremonies acknowledge gratitude to the gods. Beer in ancient times was like bread - one of life's essentials. It provided quick calories (scary), and because it was boiled, was safer to drink than water. Wherever agriculture and the cultivation of grain went, beer followed. 

Beer Today

Taken by: @henwoo 

The beer industry has two faces - one traditional, the other young and vibrant. We should never decry the older industry - it has helped shape the industry as it is today. The older industry gave us refrigeration, science and marketing - why we should (to an extent) celebrate beers from breweries such as Anheuser-Busch InBev, Carlsberg, Heineken and SABMiller. They have elevated brewing from serendipity to an art and a science, and their creations are rightly respected across the craft beer world. 

Beer Versus Wine

Wine and beer should never have an equal billing in the pantheon of alcoholic drinks - although personally I prefer beer 100%. Yet, wine is treated by many as a cultured drink, while beer is not. In the wine world, experts can talk reverentially about the grapes used and nuances of colour, aroma and flavour that different varieties bring to bear. Therefore, we must never forget that the same is true for beer and its ingredients, too. 

Crate Brewery: IG @chiquitabatman

To make wine, the grapes are crushed, releasing a sweet, sugary liquid, which is then fermented. The brewer has a similar, though arguably more complicated task to perform. It requires greater skill and more artistry than will be used by a winemaker, for the brewer has to extract the sweet fermentable sugars from cereal rather than juicy grapes. The brewer garners and unleashes the magic of yeast, which converts the sugar into alcohol. And the brewer then adds the hops, with the bouquet of aromas, flavours and cleansing qualities and decides upon the quality of the water used. 

The result of all this is that drinkers today can choose from over 100 different styles of beer, covering every imaginable flavour and colour. From the simple notes of grain, yeast, hops and water, brewers create a symphony of tastes, colours and aromas that swirl around the glasses from which we drink. 

We should drink with our eyes and noses before we take a sip to experience the spectrum of colours and burst of aromas that are all part of the experience of enjoying beer. Then, and only then, take a sip and let the beer unleash its flavours as it dances on your tongue. As you take a second sip and enjoy the lingering aftertaste of a good beer, say a silent ''cheers'' to the skill of the brewers - AS THEY ARE THE TRUE HEROES OF BEER!!!; creating drinks with variety and complexity equal to the most expensive wines. 

All in all, this is a very brief introduction into beer, and within the next couple of weeks I will indulge into the history of beer from all over the world, as well as give recommendations and historical anecdotes. 

The more you drink, the more you know! 

Weronika x