History of beer and carbonation

[frankvw]

Hi, everyone! I have just finished brewing my first batch which, happily, turned out well. I started at the bottom of the ladder (read: kit brewing) and I intend to slowly progress to full mash brewing, but I need to learn what I'm doing as I go along. So I've been doing a lot of reading lately.

Which brings me to a question. Beer has a long history that goes centuries back. These days we know beer as a carbonated beverage, with natural carbonation resulting from fermentation under pressure. (I'm ignoring for the moment the barbaric practice of forced carbonation with CO2 injection under high pressure. <g>) Traditional beer, on the other hand (as is still brewed in southern Africa, where I live) ferments in either open or in closed but unpressurised vessels, and has no carbonation at all.

So when did carbonation become a standard property of beer? I suppose it started when the benefits of lagering were discovered, but am I correct in that? Were the wooden casks used in recent centuries sufficiently airtight to provide carbonation?

I'm curious. Does anyone know more about this?

Cheers!

// FvW

 

[danlad]

Wooden casks have been around a long time. Didn't Caesar mention them in Gaul, as they didn't use amphorae like the Romans did?

If you kept a naturally carbonated brew in a well made wooden cask it would be certainly good enough to hold pressure for a while. At least long enough for cask conditioned style stuff.

 

[KAMMEE]

Carbonation is a byproduct of the fermentation process, so all beer has some level of dissolved CO2. I believe it started to be served in a more carbonated state when it was served directly from the cask. Certainly the mass production of glass bottles probably has some correlation to the development of more highly carbonated beer styles as wooden kegs can only hold so much pressure. I know in England and Germany, they still serve beer directly from wooden casks and the beer has an appropriate level of carbonation for the style, which in Germany is lots of different pilsners, alts, helles, wiessen, etc.

 

[frankvw]

Wooden casks have been around a long time. Didn't Caesar mention them in Gaul, as they didn't use amphorae like the Romans did?
If you kept a naturally carbonated brew in a well made wooden cask it would be certainly good enough to hold pressure for a while. At least long enough for cask conditioned style stuff.

So carbonation due to fermentation under pressure would have been around at least since the Roman empire then?

// FvW

 

[frankvw]

Carbonation is a byproduct of the fermentation process, so all beer has some level of dissolved CO2.

While CO2 is a byproduct of fermentation, it does not necessarily remain in solution to any appreciable degree.. The beer that came out of my fermenter had no carbonation at all that I could detect when tasting it, and the same goes for the traditional beers brewed here in southern Africa, which is brewed in open vessels and flat as a pancake.

I believe it started to be served in a more carbonated state when it was served directly from the cask.

That would make sense. About when did that occur?

Certainly the mass production of glass bottles
probably has some correlation to the development of more highly carbonated beer styles

Exactly. That's why I'm interested in what the stuff was like in ye olden days before the industrial revolution.

// FvW

 

[tbel]

Here's a thread I have to follow. Interesting thought.
I wonder if any level of carbonation would have occurred in clay pottery type vessels?
They no doubt would have burst at higher levels of carbonation.

 

[dcott]

I know in ye olden times they would seal storage vessels with pitch to keep them air-tight. I'm guessing they would have allowed most fermentation to cease, then seal the casks, resulting in very slight carbonation.

That being said, back in the day, bubbles in wine were always regarded as a fault, particularly in Champagne (crazy, right?!), so it wouldn't surprise me if beer was meant to be still as well.

 

[dcott]

back in the day, bubbles in wine were always regarded as a fault, particularly in Champagne

In fact, even once they decided that bubbles were an ok thing because they were marketable, they had no way to control how many atmospheres of pressure they were imparting (and the glass at the time was very brittle), so the cellar master would don a full suit of protective clothing (almost like armor) to manage the bottles. There are stories of one bottle blowing-up and starting a chain reaction that made the entire cellar's worth of bottles blow-up.

 

[ndsgr]

While CO2 is a byproduct of fermentation, it does not necessarily remain in solution to any appreciable degree.. The beer that came out of my fermenter had no carbonation at all that I could detect when tasting it, and the same goes for the traditional beers brewed here in southern Africa, which is brewed in open vessels and flat as a pancake.

I have quite a few beers right out of the fermenter that have a slight carbonation to them. One has been sitting with Brett for about 5 months and the hydro samples all have a slight, detectable carbonation with nothing more than an airlock as back pressure. Others have had just foil covering the top of the carboy and still had slight carbonation.

 

[frankvw]

I know in ye olden times they would seal storage vessels with pitch to keep them air-tight. I'm guessing they would have allowed most fermentation to cease, then seal the casks, resulting in very slight carbonation.

You do raise an interesting point here. Traditional beer in Africa (which, I imagine, is much like the stuff that housewives have been brewing since before the pyramids) is brewed in open vessels and served as soon as fermentation is more or less complete. It is not stored for any appreciable amount of time.

Packaging (for transportation, cellaring or lagering) is essential for noticeable levels of carbonation to develop (the minute amount of dissolved CO2 under standard atmospheric pressure can be ignored). Transportation of beer over longer distances or storage for longer periods would be the key to carbonated beer styles becoming popular.

My guess is that before lagering was discovered by our German brethren sometime during the middle ages, carbonated beer styles would have been relatively rare. The need for packaging (for storage and/or transport) would also have been closely related to local climatological and social circumstances.

This also goes for hops, btw. India Pale Ale was strongly hopped because the hops acted as a preservative, which was necessary to keep the beer in good shape during the voyage from England to India. The aromatic and bittering hop notes turned out to be a great contribution to the flavour of the beer.

// FvW

 

[danlad]

It's all supposition of course, unless someone finds some evidence! I can't see how carbonation could only be invented with the adoption of lagering techniques though. It wouldn't take much to get a fermentation (intended or otherwise) in a sealed container, be it wood, glass or pottery. I see your point that if it was served straight from an unsealed fermenting vessel it wouldn't be spritzy, but we can't know how people used to prefer it or if they sealed it up in something beforehand

 

[BendBrewer]

Traditional beer in Africa (which, I imagine, is much like the stuff that housewives have been brewing since before the pyramids) is brewed in open vessels and served as soon as fermentation is more or less complete. It is not stored for any appreciable amount of time.

Are you talking about Millet? A friend brought this back from Africa for me years ago.

 

[Homercidal]

Actually, the very first instance of carbonation in beer occured in Australia, of all places, and was recorded in this 1988 documentary:

 

[Zamial]

Actually, the very first instance of carbonation in beer occured in Australia, of all places, and was recorded in this 1988 documentary:

It is a lot harder to split a beer atom than people think...:rockin:

 

[frankvw]

I have quite a few beers right out of the fermenter that have a slight carbonation to them. One has been sitting with Brett for about 5 months and the hydro samples all have a slight, detectable carbonation with nothing more than an airlock as back pressure. Others have had just foil covering the top of the carboy and still had slight carbonation.

I sit corrected.

// FvW

 

[frankvw]

It's all supposition of course, unless someone finds some evidence!

There is a lot to what you say here. However, I think we do have two things to work with. One, the minimum pressure required for minimum significant levels of carbonation (say, a traditional British ale) to occur, and two, whatever historical evidence (drawings, paintings, archeology and what not) we have of pre-medieval (i.e. pre-lager) brewing implements.

Is there a homebrewing archaeologist in the audience?

// FvW

 

[Revvy]

Carbonation dates back to Ancient Egyptian times, using it from springs
where it naturally occurs.In technology circles, it wasn't 'invented' until
1772 by Joseph Priestley by 'impregnating liquids with fixed air (carbon
dioxide today)'. However, the egyptians used the carbonated water from the
spring (already carbonated), whereas Joseph created the process of
carbonating.

Joseph Priestley was born in Yorkshire, England on March 13, 1733. He was originally a preacher and a teacher, but he became interested in scientific experimentation and did important work in chemistry and electricity. In the mid-1760s, he lived near a brewery in Leeds and out of curiosity he began to study the clouds of gas produced by the fermenting process.

Priestley soon discovered that the gas produced by fermentation was the selfsame gas that other scientists called "fixed air." (We call it carbon dioxide today.) While experimenting with the gas, he found that it could be dissolved in water, resulting in a bubbly beverage. Priestley's precise invention was what we now know as seltzer or soda water.

Here's how Priestley's memoirs describe the reaction to his invention:

"My first publication on the subject of air was in 1772. It was a small pamphlet on the method of impregnating water with fixed air, which being immediately translated into French, excited a great degree of attention to the subject, and this was much increased by the publication of my first paper of experiments in a large article of the Philosophical Transactions [the official publication of the Royal Society, a scientific organization] the year following, for which I received the gold medal of the society."

As so often happens when a new substance is discovered, some people thought it might have miraculous medical properties. Priestley continues:

"My method of impregnating water with fixed air was considered at a meeting of the College of Physicians, before whom I made the experiments, and by them it was recommended to the Lords of the Admiralty (by whom they had been summoned for the purpose) as likely to be of use in [fighting] the sea scurvy."

Of course, his drink did nothing to help sailors suffering from scurvy, a condition brought on by bad diet. Still, the process that Priestley invented gave rise to all the carbonated drinks popular today.

He's also credited as being the co-discoverer of oxygen. http://inventors.about.com/od/pstartinventors/a/JosephPriestley.htm

Not bad for a preacher.

 

[frankvw]

Are you talking about Millet? A friend brought this back from Africa for me years ago.

No. I am talking about the traditional brews that many Africans still make at home, from anything that will ferment, from sorghum to banana's. In every supermarket here in South Africa you can find packets of brewing yeast (which are not really suitable for brewing what I've always known as 'beer') next to normal bakers' yeast and other baking ingredients. As far as I know (Anchor, the largest yeast producer in South Africa, isn't talking) the main difference between the brewing yeast and the bakers' yeast is its level of alcohol tolerance.

Traditional beers are usually cooked up in whatever is handy: kettles, pots, what have you. They ferment in either open vessels, or with the pot lid on to keep out the bugs and the dog, but that's it. A certain sourness (lactobacillus?) is a normal part of the flavour of the finished beer. Fermentation progresses rapidly and usually takes one or at most two days. Then the beer is served, often directly from the kettle/pot/bucket/whatever.

Traditional beers made from Sorghum are beginning to experience a commercial revival, by the way. SA Breweries (a juggernaut who stops at nothing to kill off small competitors who would introduce new beers onto a marked dominated by SAB's Castle and Carling Black Label) has tentatively introduced small quantities of sorghum-based beers on the market, in an attempt to find yet another way to make more money (the ingredients for sorghum-based beer are much cheaper).

As far as I know, SAB uses forced carbonation for all their beers. And people couldn't care less about the fact that Castle should be poured right back into the horse and Black Label isn't much better - as long as it gets you pissed quickly everyone is happy. (Which is what got me into home brewing, btw.) So I expect that SABs sorghum beers will have been forcibly carbonated as well. But I have not managed to get my grubby hands on some of the new commercial sorghum yet, so the jury is still out on that one. Depending on the initial results SAB will decide whether or not to continue with sorghum. Time will tell.

// FvW

 

[troy2000]

Interesting thread. I was thinking of starting one on the same subject, but for once had enough sense to google the question first...

 

[Hopinista]

Traditional beers made from Sorghum are beginning to experience a commercial revival, by the way.
-
has tentatively introduced small quantities of sorghum-based beers on the market, in an attempt to find yet another way to make more money (the ingredients for sorghum-based beer are much cheaper).

-

But I have not managed to get my grubby hands on some of the new commercial sorghum yet, so the jury is still out on that one. Depending on the initial results SAB will decide whether or not to continue with sorghum. Time will tell.

// FvW

Sorghum beers are starting to be made here to accommodate people with gluten intolerance.

I can't say I'd drink one unless I had to though, they're pretty terrible

 

[unionrdr]

Terpsicorian Kid on youtube made one of those sorghum beers once,a gluten free one. He talked about how good it was. So as long as hops are used with the right ingredients,it seems to be ok. Never tried it myself.

 

[Teromous]

I had DFH's Tweason'ale which is a strawberry, sorghum, and honey beer. I thought it was pretty good. It worked well as a light beer because the recipe was paired with other light flavors.

 

[Jette]

If you are living in ancient Egypt and make some beer in a clay vessel, it can be sealed with cork or stopper of some type - wooden bung? You put the stopper in just tight enough, as you learn from experience. When it pops, you know the beer is done conditioning. This will be mildly carbonated. My hydrometer samples are lightly carbonated just from sitting under CO2 in the fermenter and this is pleasant. Presumably all brewers in history have known about this.

 

[RPCidery]

I've been more than a little curious about this myself. There doesn't seem to be much on the subject in the historical record. IMO, beer without fizz just ain't beer.

 

[unionrdr]

DFH's Ta'henket is the one recipe he got from ancient Egyptian tomb records. He used grain & all from over there,including captured yeast. It's about as authentic as we can get today.

 

[RPCidery]

DFH's Ta'henket is the one recipe he got from ancient Egyptian tomb records. He used grain & all from over there,including captured yeast. It's about as authentic as we can get today.

But, was it fizzy? The original, that is.

 

[unionrdr]

It was a low carb style that was served by the pitcher during meals,etc. It was more common to the average Egyptian then wine. A table drink,as it were. Not all that clear either.

 

[Elijah Hutchinson]

I make kvass in a clay crock or jar with plastic wrap rubber banded over the top. After a few days I set it out in the cold for a couple hours and then serve it. It's basically a beer and its got tons of carbonation. I imagine people would just do the same thing and then put it in a container for short term storage. As long as the seal is crappy enough the container won't explode. Drink it quick like they do with traditional British ales. Better yet, pour it directly from the crock.