Paul’s Brewsletter

It is well known that beer has been with mankind for a long time. As beer itself changed, expanded, and improved, so did the way in which we actually got the beer to our mouths. The earlier vessels man used for drinking included earthenware, pottery, carved out wood, and even sewn-together pieces of leather. As time went on, man saw small improvements in the quality of their beer glasses. Early Europeans living during the time of the Bubonic plague saw the creation of beer steins, which had an enclosed top on the steins to keep flies from landing in the brew and getting the person sick.

The development of glass may have been the most important aspect of the way beer glasses are made today. As beer glasses became more and more popular, consumers could actually see what they were drinking and demanded a lighter and more appealing look as well as taste. This led to the filtration of beers; people no longer wanted the coarse chunks that were often found in the earlier beers of the breweries. With this new, more aesthetically pleasing wave of beer glasses, it seemed like beer steins were on the way out.

The development of glassware continued and produced a variety of beer glasses for all kinds of different beers. The most popular in the United States is the 16-ounce pint glass. It was originally used to fit the top of a Martini shaker, but bartenders soon found that as the brew flowed out of the beer taps the pint glass was the perfect vessel because it allowed for some of the carbonation to be released and allowed the aroma of the beer to be more pronounced. It is also favored for its storage capabilities; pint glasses can be stacked on top of each other and stored easily upright on shelves, quickly making them a favorite with the bartenders who ended up having to wash out each glass.

A drive to get people to buy their brand of beer by earlier breweries led to some unique and groundbreaking moves on the marketing and promotional front. Early breweries were often prohibited to give away beer or other rewards to their customers, but found that giving away beer glasses was a great way to reward customers and also to advertise for themselves. This led to the breweries producing beer glasses that were works of art unto themselves. The first were ornate and expensive; they would often have gold or silver embossed on the sides. Eventually, artists for the breweries began doing detailed etchings on the sides of the glasses or steins and even developed a method of firing enamel paint onto the beer glasses. These enameled glasses remain some of the most rare beer collectibles, even though they were made more recently than the others. Today, some of the beer collectibles and signs are worth thousands of dollars and sought out worldwide by eager collectors. Have you looked up in the top of Grandpa’s old drawer lately?

Michael Usry is a long-time beer lover and contributing author for “Beer Maniac” fanzine in Austin, Tx. He is also a top affiliate at  beertaps.com, and  steinsandglassware.com, websites for household draft beer accessories.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Usry
http://EzineArticles.com/?The-History-of-the-Beer-Glass&id=461953

The next batch of beer has been placed into primary fermentation.  This is the Oktoberfest style of beer I mentioned previously.  I experienced some issues getting the wyeast liquid yeast to activate, so I decided to use the dry yeast that comes with each Mr. Beer mix.  This yeast has always made beer when I’ve used it, so I’m not too concerned.

Keep in mind; if you are using the liquid yeast smack packs from wyeast you may encounter a similar issue as I did.  The issue with the liquid yeast and waiting for it to activate is colder outdoor temperatures (like the ones we were having until recently) can cause the yeast to take a longer time to completely activate.  This means the normal wait of 8-12 hours for the yeast to be ready may be more along the lines of 1-2 days.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to start making the beer by the time the liquid yeast was completely ready.  At least now with the warmer temperatures, this shouldn’t be a problem.  I still say wyeast liquid yeast is the way to go and plan to continue using it.

I want to send a quick nod to my friend Eric Gamble, who recently hosted a drink sampling party in New Orleans.  This party was thrown by a group called “The Modern Drunkard”.  At the Modern Drunkard party, we were given several mixed drinks that use vodka as a base alcohol.  The intention of the Modern Drunkard parties is to expand your horizons a bit and give you some other options to consider when you’re out barhopping.  Each Modern Drunkard party uses a different alcohol as a theme.  Who knows, maybe yours truly will supply beer for a Modern Drunkard party in the future?  To read more about the Modern Drunkard parties, click this link.

As a goof, I decided to name this next batch of beer using the Random Beer Name Generator.  Here’s the title:  Wombat-Flaggon Schwartzbier.  And, for those of you scoring at home, the Original Specific Gravity of this beer is 1.035.  If all goes well, this beer should be ready in time for a housewarming party for my parents in April.  I’ll blog again when I’ve bottled the beer.  In the meanwhile, keep checking this blog for tips and hints from other beer-brewing experts and enthusiasts!

Happy brewing!
Paul

As it turns out, Mr. Beer is currently out of stock of the West Coast Pale Ale - so, instead of making my Mardi Gras Beer, I’ll be making the Oktoberfest Vienna Lager.  Oktoberfest beer is usually rich, so this should be a nice batch for this time of year, when the weather is still on the cool side.

While I’m getting my ingredients together, take a look at some articles I’ve put together on beer at http://www.prhsolutions.com/brewsletter/category/beer-articles/.  Find out about the history of beer as well as some basic instructions for brewing.  I’ll be back in touch when I start production on the Oktoberfest Vienna Lager.  Until next time…

Happy brewing!

Paul

By Michael Kyle

Who doesn’t love an ice cold beer on a sunny day or after a hard days work? Many of us do but what is it that makes beer so great? Well, we could spend years talking about the virtues of beer and trying to categorize them all, but instead why not focus on the conception of beer and learn its quenching history! Beer is possibly the oldest and most popular alcoholic beverage on the planet today. Records of beer can be traced back to 5000 BC in the ancient writings of the Egyptians and Mesopotamians.

It’s basic mix of carbohydrates and water made it a simple beverage to create and became a staple, along with bread, in the diet of medieval times. It was sometimes a thick and floral concoction with often poisonous flavorings that was a far cry from what we now drink today. During the middle ages, brewing beer shifted from homemakers and became more a tool of the artisan. Pubs, Monasteries and Monks in particular, began brewing beer for the masses. Hops were added to induce some bitterness to the sweet brew making it more identifiable to your palate today.

In 1516 the brewing guilds of Bavaria pushed for beer purity laws making it illegal to brew beer with anything but barley, hops and water. (This of course predated yeast) it was shortly after this in 1553 that Beck’s brewing of Belgium began producing beer commercially for the masses.

With the discovery of the new world so did the progression of beer brewing. Many breweries started the process of mass production but with differing results, regional flavors and taste. Many prominent men of the day brewed beer, sometimes hiring brew master’s from the old world to come and work their craft. Beer brewing hadn’t changed much until 1876, when Louis Pasteur was able to isolate a single yeast cell in a controlled lab environment thus changing beer brewing forever. The true secret to fermentation was discovered and was now repeatable. Controlled mass production and consistency were now available to the joy of beer drinkers everywhere.

Since then beer has been manufactured by several large multinational corporations around the world but still retains its artisan roots with regional craft breweries and small “micro breweries” producing outstanding product with a great regional feel and flavor. With the introduction of the metal keg in 1964, it was now possible for completely hygienic and sterilized product to be shipped worldwide thus evoking the term “Import or Domestic” on Tap and giving us the modern brew we love and enjoy today.

Michael Kyle has been an event coordinator and hospitality expert for 18 years. His passion for event planning and guest services helped lead to the successful launch of http://www.thesexykitchen.com; a web-site dedicated to kitchen design, renovation, party planning, hospitality, and more. Perhaps you have a passion or hobby you’d like to write about. Discover how to turn your passion into a successful website, visit http://www.succeed-from-your-passion.com to learn how.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Kyle
http://EzineArticles.com/?Beer—A-Brief-History&id=265532