History of Beer Part 2: 1516 - 1898 AD
So I was wandering around the Internet late last night looking for some inspiration on for a big BBQ we’re having this weekend and I found an obscure little blog called Uptown Flavor with what looks to be a great Cajun Bourbon chicken recipe.
Coincidentally, it also had a fresh post titled The History of Beer Part 2, with a quick summary of beer in Europe essentially from the Reinheitsgebot in 1516 to the end of the 19th Century.
Yeah, I know, there’s lots of these “History of Beer” things all over the place, but I like this one because it boils events down to one sentence — nice bite-sized nuggets of beer trivia that you can use as a conversation starter at, oh, I don’t know–a barbecue. For example:
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ME: “Were you aware that in 1602 Dr Alexander Nowell discovered that ale can be stored longer in cork sealed, glass bottles?
YOU: “Why, no, I wasn’t. That’s very interesting.”
Add some meat, fire and a fresh pint of good beer and we’ve got an instant good time.
There are a couple of problems with the guy’s history. For example,
AD 1589: Hofbrauhaus built by Duke Wilhelm V is the focal point of the famous annual Oktoberfest in Belgium.
Last time I checked the Hofbrauhaus was in Munich in Saxony, Germany–not Belgium–but who know, it’s Europe, stuff moves around. Plus this is the history “part 2″, but I can’t find part 1 on the site.
Whatever. It’s still a quick read and chocked full of useful beer tidbits.
» The History of Beer Part 2 Via Uptown Flavor.
And if you’re looking for a good grilled chicken recipe, check out the Cajun Bourbon Chicken.
Yeah, more like:
ME (now YOU): “Were you aware that in 1602 Dr Alexander Nowell discovered that ale can be stored longer in cork sealed, glass bottles?
YOU (now ME): “Yes. And it’s pronounced NO-well, not No-WELL.†(this next part is under my breath) “F’ing n00b.”
June 17th, 2007 | #
Eek. About half of the stuff on that guy’s history are completely incorrect.
You’ve pointed out a couple of inaccuracies above, but here are a couple more:
“AD 1581: Young’s Brewery started brewing in England.”
No, it started doing so in Victorian times. We’re pretty sure there was a brewery in Wandsworth from that time but that was centuries before Young’s & Co came along.
“AD 1759: Guinness evolved from a porter to a stout in Dublin.”
Guinness didn’t start using the word “stout” until 1840.
June 18th, 2007 | #