Beer has a very long history. So, I don't know which historical beer I would like to drink. Have you seen this video on YouTube (this is the History of Beer since the beginning) :
I did watch the video a few days ago. I was thinking about starting a thread with this video embedded but there are a number of errors in the video and I was concerned that the 'correctors' would crap all over it so.... Cheers to you for posting!! P.S. The majority of the video is correct.
I enjoy trying all styles of beer but the historical beers are a little more special to me. Usually they are difficult for me to come across (hence the name historical) but it's interesting to try older styles. Had a Zoigl recently at Good Word that was making it's way around!
Zoigl is more of a brewing arrangement than a style in the way beer lovers think of "style," but brewers do use the term like a style.
@Matthewmetcalfe Zoigl is something I would love to try when visiting Germany. As I understand, it is more of a cultural experience than a particular style. Here are a couple of articles that may be of interest. The first is how I was introduced to the concept, and may seem familiar to some folks. I have since come to understand this type of tradition is/was more common than Zoigl itself. https://www.beeradvocate.com/articles/5091/the-great-zoigl-quest/ https://zoiglbier.de/an-introduction-to-the-tradition-of-zoigl-beer/
This sent me on a stroll through articles of yesteryear. Here a a few that may be of interest to folks watching this thread. https://www.beeradvocate.com/articles/17331/kulmbacher-strong-dark-and-hoppy/ https://www.beeradvocate.com/articles/16556/fading-in-popularity-east-germanys-beer-styles/ https://www.beeradvocate.com/articles/11624/lichtenhainer/ https://www.beeradvocate.com/articles/10019/berliner-braunbier/ And German focused is a fine way to close out this year’s Oktoberfest.
Picked up a single of the Washington's Porter on Friday. Consumed yesterday. T'was enjoyable, even if not historically accurate.
That is correct. In fact the communal Zoigl brewers tried and failed to get legal protection for the term, because they couldn’t show the finished beer they made was distinctly different from other beers. It is similar to other rustic lagers from Franconia and Bohemia (some of the Zoigl villages are just a few miles from the Czech border). Most are golden to amber, sweetish and full-bodied. It’s the culture that is different. It's a step away from the modern world of competition and innovation and a throwback to the middle ages. You could, theoretically, brew Zoigl with Simcoe and Citra, but they prefer to brew the same way that grandpa did.
In your experiences, do Zoigl beers tend to be lower in carbonation than an average German commercial lager? Friedenfelser released a beer that they marketed as a Zoigl (stealing the term). The carb was so low, and it felt like a choice on their part rather than just a quality issue. Gänstaller had a commercial beer that they also marketed as a Zoigl. I recall it being quite hoppy, but I would love to be able to taste that one again. I don't know what the current status of Gänstaller is as a company.
Hell, I'd be happy for 'historical' in the sense of walking into a beer distributor 15 years ago and seeing shelves full of various stouts and barleywines in bombers, as opposed to being slapped in the face nowadays by row upon row of inscrutably labeled IPAs that come in more varieties than Baskin-Robbins has flavors. In related news, I know, I know, yelling at clouds and get off my lawn. That said, as someone mentioned earlier, Pretty Things used to put out some amazing renditions of old recipes. I still lament their loss. Same with the Ancient Ales series from Dogfish. I believe pFriem did as well. And if you get lucky in a beer store that's been around awhile, you can still find older years of stuff like Thomas Hardy's Ale and whatnot. Honestly, any chance I get, I'll snap up anything based off historical recipes or analysis. I went to school for archaeology though, so I suppose I'm a prime customer for that sort of thing. I would imagine 'old ales' and such would gain more traction if they were marketed as 'fantasy ales' though. Dwarven bitters, elvish gruits, things like that. There was a brewery at one point that put out Burdisson's (sp) Dwarven Ale, who are long gone but I think came around too early to really benefit from the craft boom when it hit. Now, if someone would just make me a Herzwesten Dark, I'd be in my glory.
FWIW Ommegang a few years ago produced Game of Thrones branded beers. I have no idea how well this sold for them. Cheers!
Not really, it may be a fraction lower but not significantly, and it depends on the brewer. I've had it perfect (for my taste) and unpleasantly fizzy (and I've had both with industrial beer too). Of course, the level of carbonation in your glass for any beer depends on how it is poured.
Simple answer - I do enjoy historical styles and wish there were more available. While it may be impossible to recreate truly historical beers with 100% accuracy, the brewer made the effort and I applaud that they are willing to spend their resources in that manner. I enjoyed the DFH series of ancient ales whether they were "true" or not. I enjoy Schilling's beers that may not be "historical" in terms of being "ancient", but they do produce a lot of styles that are not entirely mainstream and are reflective of older brewing traditions. I do enjoy "bright and shiney" new things, but I will grab something labeled as an historical recreation without too much thought. Farmhouse ales and wild ales are also high on my list and given the long tradition of those types of beers they would seem to fall at least loosely into the category.
I do: I'm a drinking 16oz can of Polish Eagle Brau. A recreation of a 1907 beer from the Polish Brewing Company in Steven Point WI. The brewery operated from 1907 to 1917. They had some bad luck, A tornado hit them and did serious damage once and more. It is brewed by District 1 in Point. It's a good beer. I get grain, bread and a little corn. smooth, slightly sweet It has a very nice soft mouth feel. It's better than the average macro of today. https://untappd.com/b/district-1-brewing-company-polish-eagle-brau/6041658 Giant Jones in Madison WI brews some historical styles of beer that I have enjoyed drinking
Often “historical” beers are a long way away from the original, because the difference is in process, not in the recipe. Today English brewers, if they brew a barley wine at all, brew it single gyle and package it. And they're often one-dimensional. Up until the 1950s or so it was a much more complicated process. You'd brew a strong stock beer and age it in wood for a year or two. This would pick up woody notes, possibly Brettanomyces, and get quite sour. Then you’d blend it with a freshly brewed beer that’s still young and sweet, and the blend would be your barley wine. The aged beer, challenging on its own, would lend deepness and an edge to the young beer.
Incredibly different. In the 19th century, the degree of attenuation was much lower. An example from 1853 was only 46% attenuated. Had an OG of 1099º, but was only 6% ABV.
Truman was still blending their Barley Wine in the 1960s. A collaboration I did with Goose Island called Black Eagle, was a blend of aged and fresh beer. Very nice it was, too.
