It is remarkable how sometimes history is circular. Mark Twain once said, "History doesn't just repeat itself, it even rhymes." Also in the beer world today there is a remarkable return to the appearance of craft beers with wild yeast strains. In Amsterdam last June it took place Carnival Brettanomyces place, where all the beer that was Brett, sour and funky was celebrated and discussed. Several breweries are busy experimenting with wild yeasts and new combinations.
Carlsbergensis
What's unusual about beer is that this trend is a reversal of what the brewing world has been doing since the mid-19th century. Louis Pasteur first showed in 1857 that the yeast cells were responsible for making the alcohol in beers and wines. This led to a search by brewers for yeast strains. In 1883 the . published Emil Christian Hansen, lab technician at Carlsberg, about a bottom-fermenting strain of yeast that he had received from Spatenbrau from Munich. He named this yeast strain Saccharomyces Pastorian (in honor of Pasteur) and this yeast was produced a year later by Carlsberg under the name Carlsberg no.1. This yeast is therefore often referred to as S. Carlsbergensis in the literature.
pils
This isolated yeast made it possible to brew an extremely pure beer, which was free from all the funkiness and acidity that had been present in practically all beers until then. And new closed production lines and modern filter equipment made it possible to make a clear beer that always tasted the same. For the beer drinker of the early 21st century, this drink was like champagne. The lager quickly conquered the world. Literal. New transport options - such as the express train - and new cooling techniques meant that beer could be transported over an increasing distance. Local beers disappeared and were replaced by national beers.
beer styles
A hundred years later, however, beer aficionados became averse to the ubiquitous lager. Small local breweries are working on older beer styles, including the wild yeast strains that Hansen was so eager to ban from the brewing process. As a result, the funk returned to the beer and beer became a local product again. Fortunately, we still have modern refrigeration and transport methods at our disposal, so that this local product can also be distributed worldwide.
[bs-quote quote=”Ivo is an international beer sommelier, entertainer and catering expert. Has an immense passion for beer, catering and hospitality. Ivo will write a monthly column for Horeca Groningen.” style=”style-5″ align=”center” author_name=”Ivo Thijssen” author_job=”Biersommelier” author_avatar=”https://staging.horecagroningen.nl/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Ivo-Thijssen- profile.jpg” author_link=”https://bierproef.nu/”][/bs-quote]