Sarah and I deftly drink chocolate beers so that you don't have to! Check out our tasting notes (since they did not transfer so well to video) on Rogue Chocolate Stout, Young's Double Chocolate Stout, and Bison Organic Chocolate Stout. Happy Valentine's Day!
All over the world, women were the traditional brewers of beer (excepting those Belgian monks), and were known as brewsters. They made beer from rice, corn, potatoes, oats, barley, etc., and in so doing were able to be economically independent. In the Western World this practice has largely disappeared.With the discovery of hops flowers as a natural preservative, beer could suddenly be exported. In the transition from local to export, or cottage industry to industry, it also went from women's work to men's work. Today only some areas in Africa, Asia, and South and Central America still have brewsters, but these are rapidly dwindling due to industrialization.
The offerings of big breweries and microbreweries alike cater towards a largely male audience, with either flavorless lagers or over-the-top bitter hop-monsters, and very little in-between. Back in the day, when clean water was hard to come by, everyone drank beer, from the children on up. In our "modern" society very few women even drink beer, preferring cocktails and wine to this somewhat pedestrian drink. What we do not realize is that beer too can have flavor without being offensive and even the sophistication of champagne!
Part of the Punk movement is the DIY movement, which has gained independence from the spiked hair, studded leather jackets, and music characterized by fast drum lines. Doing-It-Yourself is not just a method, it is a philosophy. Of course you can go to the grocery or liquor store and pick up a six-pack, but where is the fun in that? A result of our consumer-culture, is that we have lost the ability to make things for ourselves. Furthermore, we have lost the satisfaction that hand-making and hand-crafting affords.
And to now bring this back to beer. Brewing beer is relatively easy, and requires more patience than work to achieve tastiness. It takes roughly 2-3 months for the average beer to age long enough for the flavors to mellow and blend. Sharing a beer with your friends takes on a whole new meaning when your time and effort goes into it. The homebrewing movement has been slowly gaining momentum during the past 4 decades. Interest in craft brews are at an all-time high, yet this is still a male-dominated industry. Ladies, it is time to put on our aprons and start brewing!
Those of us at Punk Brewsters would like to bring beer back to fashion! We have an exciting line-up of episodes planned; from beer tastings, to beer related crafts, to interviews, tours, cooking with beer, beer pairings, the basics of brewing, brewing experiments, and even brewing historical and international beers. So why not learn a bit more about why this ordinary drink is nothing less than extraordinary!
This weekend look for our Inaugural Vlog (that is right, folks, video!) Post -- our Valentine's Day special, Episode 1: Tasting Chocolate Beers!
Posts
All Comments
