So, no real indication from Hieronymus that Belgian brewers are pitching fresh yeast at bottling time to hide the original strain.
Well you know there ARE other people besides Stan, you know....Just because HE didn't state it doesn't mean what he wrote is gospel.
There are other EXPERTS in the brewing field, like the guy actually selling yeast to brewers, and trying to acquire said yeast strains dontja know.
What someone might have said in a book, may only have been part of the story...
or simply the limit of the author's understanding of something, at the time he wrote it.
Think John Palmer still believes what he wrote in how to brew about IBUs??? Nope.
Here's a good example John Palmer basically admits that what he wrote about IBU's in How to brew, was essentially "wrong" or at least outdated in light of new science...
Basic Brewing Thursday, March 20, 2008 4:30 PM
John Palmer, author of How to Brew, shares information from a conference that challenged his concept of what defines an International Bitterness Unit (IBU).
Click to listen, MP-3
A book is a snapshot of the author's body of knowledge and the "common wisdom" at the time the author wrote the book, which may mean 3 years before it was even published. Even Papazian's book is 30+ years old. The basic knowlege is good, but brewing science and experience has progressed to where some things an author believes or says at that time may no-longer be valid...even to the author...
Hell, Papazian just discovered the joys of rice hulls about 3 years ago. So who says an old dog, can't learn something new?
Knowledge is made up of several puzzle pieces, not everyone has a monopoly on every bit of information on a particular topic,
even if they are considered "experts."
Maybe Hieronymus hadn't talked to David Lodgson when he was writing his book, and never heard this part of the story? He may have added that little tidbit to his work.....
Nor did I say it was the only reason they did it.
But it is one of the reasons it is done.