Beer is a work of culture.
It is not something that just appears in nature; it requires taking up its fruits and cultivating them into something new.
Beer testifies to human ingenuity and creativity; although it can be abused, it can enhance human life by promoting festivity and friendship.
Even in the Middle Ages, when the guilds regulated the crafts and trades, brewing remained a right open to all people because it was seen as so necessary.
In the ancient world, brewing could be done easily by putting twice-baked loaves into a basin of water and adding honey or fruit to promote fermentation.
When the monks enhanced the process, they added the steps of soaking malted barley in hot water to create wort.
This wort was then boiled with hops added for flavor and preservation, although the boiling also killed germs and produced a safe and healthy drink.
Although the newer process was more complicated, it still remained something that could be done in the home, and brewing opened up an economic opportunity for women.
Since the industrial revolution, brewing has become industrialized, pulling it out of the home and the local establishments.
Brewing and distribution have become streamlined, increasing production and profits but also leading to the predominance of just a few styles that lack flavor and distinctiveness.
Prohibition also put a lot of breweries out of business, and when alcohol was legalized again, large advertising campaigns led to just forty breweries controlling the entire market.
Since the late 1970s, however, with the legalization of homebrewing and microbrewing in the United States, there has been a renaissance in brewing, and we are now back to the 4,000 breweries we had before Prohibition.
Why does that number matter?
With more, smaller breweries, there has been an increase in innovation and craft.
Rather than just a few general, bland styles, beer has returned to a more robust and even aesthetic experience.
It is now possible to develop one’s palate through a great range of flavor, color, and texture.
Beer can become more than a work of culture as a great achievement of craftsmanship— an artistic expression and experience.
Homebrewing is an easy way of engaging culture and building up a home economy.
The word economics even means the regulation of the home, although we have become very passive to consumerism and having everything supplied for us.
Taking the plunge into brewing gives us a chance to engage with the raw materials that we drink— barley and hops— and to pay attention to the details of water and yeast.
It also brings people together in community, if you have brewing parties and, of course, enjoy the finished product together.
Culture is about how we produce and cultivate things and use them within our community.
Certain things are simply necessary to survive, but we make others simply for their enjoyment—such as works of art.
Beer can serve both purposes— as a nourishing beverage and also a work of artisanship.
Consider the types of beer you regularly buy.
What would change in the way you partook of alcohol if you began buying beer only from micro-breweries in your area?
