Beer News Blog

For thousands of years beer was consumed in the place it was brewed. Produced in private homes, village pubs, the monastery at the top of the hill, or the local castle, one walked a bit, quaffed a bit (or a lot), and walked back to a nearby resting place.

Beer could only be carried as far as a horse could take it. That had certain ramifications for beer drinkers—they would have very limited choices of beer for months at a time, maybe even years. On the other hand, they always got fresh locally-brewed beer and could tell the brewmaster just how they felt. A man had to be careful about that last part after several beers, however, especially if the brewer happened to be his wife—which was often the case.

It’s hard to blame the brewer for that narrow brew view, since the same limits on travel affected them as well. How was a brewer to get to other parts of the world to get new ideas? 

It’s hard to blame the brewer for that narrow brew view, since the same limits on travel affected them as well. How was a brewer to get to other parts of the world to get new ideas? The invention of steam (not Anchor Steam) in the early 19th century changed all that. Machines to create vast batches of beer were developed at the same time railroads began to crisscross the world. The result? Mass brewing evolved, large-scale breweries were built, and beer could be shipped long distances. Grains and hops could be specialized and shipped, as could special yeasts. It no doubt gave rise to an overall improvement in beer, and certainly increased choices for consumers.

Beer was shipped then in wooden kegs, without much refrigeration if any, so distances were far more limited than now. Today we often find beer from virtually anywhere in the world right at the corner tavern and liquor store.

I don’t know what shipping and storing standards were in effect back then, but in our day some sins can be committed that may result in inferior, not superior, beer.

The three main enemies of beer are heat, light, and time, and beers shipped from afar can often take a long time to arrive. From Europe or Asia, for example, they are shipped to a warehouse and stored until they can be loaded, then they embark on an ocean voyage to one of our coasts and are once again stored in a warehouse until sent to a retailer or pub. All the while time is taking its toll. Heat may also be a factor during the voyage, and possibly in the storage facilities. Since the product is in a keg, a can, or a tightly-sealed box, light won’t matter.

Some brewers take scrupulous care to maintain storage perfection during this shipping and their stuff will get here in great shape. But I always recommend to my patrons and friends that they try the freshest, locally-brewed beers than can find, and on draft if possible. This will set the freshness standard by which they can judge any other product.

Ironically, this is just how they would have gotten it before the Industrial Revolution and the development of steam power.

This entry was posted on Monday, July 17th, 2006 at 4:01 pm and is filed under Lou's Neighborhood Pub. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.