From a craft predominantly performed by women to the effects of the Prohibition on the brewing industry, Kim and Leigh discuss the many facets of the third most consumed beverage in the world.
Humans love beer, we think of it as a fortifying or strengthening foodstuff, and our love of it has caused some curious legal movements to curtail it, especially in the United States. Beer is great with all kinds of foods - barbeque, curry, fish & chips, tempura, and more and sometimes beer IS food when it’s added to marinades, batter, or bread or even served as a soup in medieval Central Europe. For this episode, Leigh and Kim get to the bottom of this curious brew, the people who brew it, and its distinct place in gastronomic life.
Brew Basics
We have evidence that brewing was in practice as early as 3500 BCE. The exact origins are debated, but most archeologists agree on the fact that the early brewers were women. Which stands to reason as brewing would have been considered a domestic art (or chore) which would have fallen into the women’s realm of the labor division.
One of the things that we found particularly interesting was that many of these goddesses were also goddesses of life, birth and health, which speaks to the importance of this beverage in relation to well-being.
Ultimately, beer was a way to preserve grain crops. It was dense in calories - full of carbohydrates and proteins. It also provided a safe beverage when others weren’t available. Much of the water sources were polluted or just not safe to drink, milk was used to make cheese and butter - preserving it. Wine was too expensive.
As we move through the history of beer we discuss the influence of food campaigns, temperance, and how modern breweries weather Prohibition.
Beer Transcript
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Sources We Found Helpful for this Episode
Books We Think You’ll Enjoy Reading
The Search for God and Guinness: A Biography of the Beer that Changed the World by Stephen Mansfield
National Geographic Atlas of Beer: A Globe-Trotting Journey Through the World of Beer by Nancy Hoalst-Pullen and Mark W. Patterson
The Comic Book Story of Beer: The World's Favorite Beverage from 7000 BC to Today's Craft Brewing Revolution by Jonathan Hennessey
Recipes You Really Need to Try
Beer Soup: The Breakfast of Early Modern Rulers - The Recipes Project
Chocolate Stout Cake - King Arthur Flour
Beer Ice Cream - The Endless Meal
Episodes We Think You’ll Like
Grains Empires: The Wheat Belt, American Innovation, and a Kitchen Confidante
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Episode + Link
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Beer: What Beer Was, What Beer Is, and What Beer Will Be