Those who do not learn from history...

[Norselord]

Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season.

I thought i'd share these gifts that i found on the information super highway recently.

These texts show how information was disseminated in the past. How passionate brewers and beer lovers communicated in the days before the world wide web.

In poring over these ancient tomes, one can see how much has remained the same and how much has changed, and in this observance a certain historical perspective is gained. This perspective in turn might lead the adventurous brewer or drinker to call up on the past while planning the future.

Enjoy the ghost of brewing past:
https://archive.org/stream/b28073861?ref=ol#page/n3/mode/2up
https://archive.org/stream/londoncountrybre00lond?ref=ol#page/n9/mode/2up
https://archive.org/stream/b30520095?ref=ol#page/n3/mode/2up
https://archive.org/stream/howtobrewgoodbee00pitt?ref=ol#page/n13/mode/2up
https://archive.org/stream/b28126026?ref=ol#mode/2up
https://archive.org/stream/beeritshistoryit00sale?ref=ol#mode/2up
https://archive.org/stream/cu31924029894759?ref=ol#page/n5/mode/2up
https://archive.org/stream/b29311871?ref=ol#page/n1/mode/2up

 

[beersk]

Why do a lot of the S's look like F's?

Interesting old script.

 

[Tom Foolery]

This is awesome! Thank you for sharing.

 

[Norselord]

There really is very little new under the sun. One of those books, A text-book of the science of brewing, which is almost 130 years old answers about 75% of the questions asked in these forums.

 

[day_trippr]

Do any of them discuss New England style IPAs?
Or Low Oxygen Brewing?

Cheers!

 

[Norselord]

These books do not cover NEIPAs or low oxygen brewing.

Do you think that people in a couple of centuries will be discussing that style or technique?

 

[day_trippr]

These books do not cover NEIPAs or low oxygen brewing.

Do you think that people in a couple of centuries will be discussing that style or technique?

I suspect neipa will never disappear, so, yes...

Cheers!

 

[Norselord]

I suspect neipa will never disappear, so, yes...

Cheers!

I suspect it will be gone in less than a decade. It’ll be up on the shelf with Zima...

 

[day_trippr]

Hater's gonna hate, but neipa's are totally dominating the craft market. I'd expect wcipas to be forgotten before neipas at this point...

Cheers!

 

[mongoose33]

These books do not cover NEIPAs or low oxygen brewing.

Do you think that people in a couple of centuries will be discussing that style or technique?

I'm pretty sure that was a joke....

 

[day_trippr]

Yeah, he clearly missed that. It happens

 

[Jayjay1976]

What an awesome thread! Thanks @Norselord
Not all heroes wear capes!

 

[speavler]

I suspect it will be gone in less than a decade. It’ll be up on the shelf with Zima...

Maybe you're thinking of kettle sours..

 

[kevin58]

Hater's gonna hate, but neipa's are totally dominating the craft market. I'd expect wcipas to be forgotten before neipas at this point...

Cheers!

And not so very long ago every craft brewery/brew pub had one or more versions of American Amber on the menu.

 

[Norselord]

Never mind...

 

[day_trippr]

And not so very long ago every craft brewery/brew pub had one or more versions of American Amber on the menu.

Ugh.
Worst. Style. Ever.
No redeeming qualities aside from being cheap to make and can use leftovers...

Cheers!

 

[day_trippr]

Never mind...

No hard feelings here, I dropped a couple of inside joke references in jest assuming they were commonly known on HBT.
My bad

 

[mongoose33]

Ugh.
Worst. Style. Ever.
No redeeming qualities aside from being cheap to make and can use leftovers...

Cheers!

THE best beer I have ever brewed was an Amber. I had wine drinkers setting aside their wine glasses and switching to that beer.

The typical amber is swill; the kind I make? It has the power to subvert wine drinkers and never has that sort of sour finish many/most ambers have.

Maybe you're using the wrong recipe? If you're nice, I might post mine.....

 

[Jayjay1976]

As if the style needed any more help... Amber is quite a common stripper name. It can be whatever beer you want it to be. To my palate, its a cheap non-seasonal alternative to the traditional oktoberfest style without all of the malt character and nuanced use of hops. Simple beer for simple people.

 

[SEndorf]

As if the style needed any more help... Amber is quite a common stripper name. It can be whatever beer you want it to be. To my palate, its a cheap non-seasonal alternative to the traditional oktoberfest style without all of the malt character and nuanced use of hops. Simple beer for simple people.

BAZINGA! OUCH!! LOL... That's kinda harsh. Ambers are not necessarily for the Mongo's of the beer drinking community.
In fact, it's in my queue by popular request. Alaskan Amber is a very popular beer.
Incidentally, "Crystal" is the most popular stripper name. Do what you want with that....

 

[day_trippr]

[...]If you're nice, I might post mine.....

You set the bar way too high
Post away if you wish but tbh the style is not something I care to brew again...

Cheers!

 

[SEndorf]

You set the bar way too high
Post away if you wish but tbh the style is not something I care to brew again...

Cheers!

Ambers are quite wide ranging in style. You simply lack a decent recipe...…..

 

[bracconiere]

"Crystal" is the most popular stripper name.

what no esters on the stripper stage? lol

 

[day_trippr]

Ambers are quite wide ranging in style. You simply lack a decent recipe...…..

Clearly presumptive, and fyi lacking in merit: I don't go to the bathroom without a plan, and don't do new-to-me brews without a crazy amount of research. I've just found ambers to be a style with little going for it and would rather brew an authentic ESB instead...

Cheers!

 

[SEndorf]

Clearly presumptive, and fyi lacking in merit: I don't go to the bathroom without a plan, and don't do new-to-me brews without a crazy amount of research. I've just found ambers to be a style with little going for it and would rather brew an authentic ESB instead...

Cheers!

Jolly good call. I concede that my statement was based on conjecture.
I enjoy the challenge of acheiving a red amber. Brown ambers are easy. ESB's are easiest.
But I'm interested in your bathroom planning process. Do you have a checklist?

 

[day_trippr]

lol! "Don't taze my hyperbole, bro!"

Cheers!

 

[SEndorf]

lol! "Don't taze my hyperbole, bro!"

Cheers!

LOL.....No taze intended.
I've had a few.
Carry on my brewing friend...… !!

 

[day_trippr]

So have I - a rare evening where I pulled two short pours from my imperial stout faucet, and no good can come from that

I'll be fading away shortly...

 

[SEndorf]

Back to topic....
Thanks you @Norselord . I've bookmarked all of those links.
The history of beer is a fascinating subject to me (as I'm sure many of you at HBT)

 

[Norselord]

This thread took a detour...
I wonder when the first codification of beer styles occurred?

I don’t think any of the texts I linked talked about beer as being a distinct style, although they do recognize different types.

This is tangentially related to the Amber conversation, and NEIPAs.

After a decade+ of brewing, I am slowly beginning to reject the idea of styles with strictly defined parameters.

I suppose there will always be people that brew to satisfy BJCP judges, and those whose beers have evolved to meet the needs of their own palates, that of their friends, or those of their customers...