Homebrew And (Re)Birth of Craft Beers


At some point in the middle decades of the 20th century, Americans started to wonder about the wisdom of relying on factory-made everything.  Assembly line goods might be all just as good as each other, but what if that means none of them are great?  Self-sufficiency and back-to-the-land movements took shape, carrying on from the communal hippies of the ‘60s, although in many cases these new converts were interested in their personal welfare, or perhaps their family’s, before the world’s.  How does this get us to craft beer and the collaborative, creative movement we have today?  Through many steps, that’s how.

Drink along? A homebrew if you can get/make it, or an early style - Boston Lager, steam ale, American IPA.


En algún momento en medio del siglo XX, algunos americanos empezaron a preguntarse si era sabio depender de las fábricas para todos los bienes.  Todos los productos de la línea pueden ser tan buenos los unos con otros, pero qué pasa si eso significa que ninguno es excelente?  Los movimientos de auto-suficiencia y retorno a la tierra se formaban, continuando de los hippies de los 60, aunque en muchos casos los conversos a estas corrientes se interesaban por su bienestar personal, o quizás el de su familia, antes del bienestar mundial.  Cómo nos llevan principios así a cerveza artesana y la industria colaborativa y creativa que tenemos hoy?  Siguiendo muchos pasos.

Beber con la presentación?  Cerveza casera si la puedes encontrar/hacer, o uno de los estilos de los primeros días de la artesanía moderna - Boston Lager, steam ale, American IPA.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Beer In Spain - Craft Explosion

Image
Unlike some other countries, Spain did not have a DIY, back-to-basics homebrewing movement.  But there were students who spent time in other countries and tried other beers, even finding themselves doing some brewing of their own.  At home, they introduced their new hobby and new styles to friends and homebrewing quickly took off, as well as the interest in craft beers.  Microbreweries popped up all over and the reaction by Spain’s Big Beer was...expected, although with its own twist. Drink along?  IPA, sour, red ale. A contrario de otros países, no existía ningún movimiento DIY de cerveza casera en España.  Pero, sí había estudiantes que pasaron un año o más en otros países y probaron otras cervezas, hasta algunos llegaron a probar homebrewing  ellos mismos.  De vuelta a casa, introdujeron su nuevo hobby a amigos y la moda fue estableciéndose, y el interés en la cerveza artesana con ella.  Microcervezerías aparecieron de la nada en todo el país y...
Read more

Beer In Spain - The 20th Century

Image
Industrial brewing has left Spain with more or less the same tastes as the rest of Western Europe, and the same process of whittling down the multitude of brewers has happened.  The country is supplied by a handful of breweries, which do their best to achieve national distribution, although that doesn’t quite happen in the early decades of the 20th century.  Beer becomes an interesting tool of propaganda during the Civil War.  For much of the century the Franco government’s protectionism allows Spanish beers to flourish at home, although it leaves them vulnerable later on.  Eventually, foreign investors take an interest in the market and national breweries join with international ones. Drink along?  More lager and more pilsner.  Icy cold and in a tiny glass, if you can. La industrialización de la cerveza ha dejado a España con gustos iguales, más o menos, que los de los otros países de Europa Occidental, y también se ha visto el mismo descenso en el número ...
Read more

Beer In Spain - In The Old Days

Image
A quick rundown of beer events over quite a few centuries...since most of those centuries just don’t have that much beer.  A pre-Roman surprise, some climate factors, and a less than triumphant return of brewing to the peninsula.  We see the run-up to the Industrial Revolution and the slow but more-or-less steady rise in popularity of beer, especially from the north.  If you're familiar with attitudes in other European countries, you might be surprised by what people in Spain thought of beer during the time. Drink along?  Table or small beer, Belgian abbey, old English style ale Un corto resumen de fechas importantes cerveceras a través de los siglos, ya que la mayoría de ellos tienen poca cerveza.  Hay una sorpresa preromana, influencias climáticas, y y una vuelta algo menos que impresionante de la cerveza a la península.  Vemos los principios de la Revolución Industrial y el auge lento de la popularidad de la bebida, sobre todo en el norte.  Si conoc...
Read more