Let's Talk Beer: Culture And History

Explore how beer shaped an ancient empire in "How Beer Built an Ancient Empire 🍺"! Dive into the fascinating story of the Wari Empire (600-1,100 AD), a civilization that controlled much of modern Peru. Discover how chicha, their unique fermented beer, became a cornerstone of diplomacy, social structure, and power. Featuring insights from Dr. Donna Nash's groundbreaking research, we uncover massive breweries, intricat...

Discover the fascinating world of Chang, Bhutan's beer with a sacred twist, in this captivating exploration of traditional brewing techniques and cultural significance! 🍺 Join us as we uncover how Bhutanese brewers harness the power of wild plants and fungi to create this unique craft beer. From the amylolytic ferments at its core to its incredible role in agriculture, hospitality, and even religious ceremonies, Chang is much ...

Join us as we explore the fascinating story of how beer brewing underwent a scientific revolution, transforming from a localized craft into a cutting-edge global industry! 🍺 In this episode, we uncover the pivotal role Central Europe played in shaping modern brewing, diving into the groundbreaking contributions of František Gontier Pupia, the innovative Sedlmayr family, and the globally influential Anton Schwarz. Discover how thes...

What if your favorite craft beer could tell the story of its roots—literally? In this episode, we dive into the concept of terroir in beer and how the environment where barley is grown can transform its flavor. 🌾🍺 From the soil to the climate, every element leaves its mark, creating a one-of-a-kind taste experience. We explore the science behind terroir with fascinating studies that prove how barley’s origins impact the final bre...

Could peas be the unexpected key to revolutionizing the craft beer scene? In this episode, we uncover how innovative brewers in Norway are speeding up the creation of tangy, delicious sour beers using pea-derived sugars called rafos family oligosaccharides (RFOs). These special sugars not only make the souring process faster and more consistent but also come from a sustainable byproduct of pea protein production, turning waste into...

In this episode, we journey to Hellenistic Egypt, a time when the Ptolemies ruled and beer continued to flow, defying the expectation that wine would dominate under Greek influence. Drawing from the article “Beer for the Gods and Coin for the Priests,” we explore the surprising role temples played in the beer economy during this era.

Discover how temples brewed, sold, and taxed beer, maintaining significant influence despite P...

In this episode, we explore an unexpected chapter in American history: the temperance movement’s resurgence in the 1950s. Decades after Prohibition’s repeal, Protestant-led activists shifted their focus from banning alcohol to taking on a new target—alcohol advertising. Based on Pamela E. Pennock’s research, we examine how this movement grappled with anxieties about youth, mass media, and the rise of consumer culture in post-war Am...

In this episode, we uncover the fascinating history of lager yeast, the unsung hero behind the world’s favorite crisp and clean lagers. Based on research from FEMS Yeast Research, we explore the origins of Saccharomyces pastorianus and how this hybrid yeast emerged from a unique confluence of brewing traditions, innovation, and chance.

Dive into the intriguing “Hofbräuhaus Hypothesis,” which suggests the legendary Munich brewery p...

In this episode, we delve into the surprising relationship between beer and the church, uncovering how brewing traditions shaped monastic life and even earned beer a place in the sacred Eucharist. Drawing from a paper on Celtic and Egyptian beer traditions, we challenge the myth that large-scale brewing began in monasteries during the Middle Ages, tracing its roots back to the Celts and Egyptian monks.

Discover how Irish monks bro...

In this episode, we uncover the fascinating tale of the “Sabaiarius,” an ancient Roman insult meaning “beer man.”

Centered on Emperor Valens and his 4th-century struggle against rebellion, this story reveals how something as simple as a drink could carry profound cultural and political weight.

Drawing from Denis Aldino’s research, we explore how beer symbolized barbarism and social inferiority in Roman society, contrasting sharpl...

In this episode, we dive into the unexpected and dramatic history of American adjunct lager. Often dismissed as “basic,” this beer style has a legacy that’s anything but simple. Drawing from Gregory Paul Casey’s research, we uncover how lager evolved from a niche import to the nation’s favorite drink, transforming the brewing industry along the way.

From its rise in popularity during the 19th century to the heated battles in Congr...

In this episode, we step into the rich history of brewing in medieval England, guided by Kristen D. Burton’s thesis, “The Citie Calls for Beere.” We’ll start with the staple of English life: unhopped ale, traditionally brewed by women, or “brewsters,” who dominated the trade. But when hops arrived on the scene, it sparked a transformation that shifted English brewing from domestic ale to the hopped beer we know today.

We’ll discus...

In this episode, we explore the fascinating journey of beer in Asia and how it became intertwined with modernity, nationalism, and cultural identity in India, Japan, and China. Based on a compelling research paper, we discuss how beer, initially spread by colonial forces and imperial competition, evolved into much more than a foreign import—it became a symbol of both imperial power and national pride.

Join us as we examine how Eur...

In this episode, we uncover the shocking and tragic story of the London Beer Flood of 1814, a bizarre catastrophe that devastated the city’s streets. When a massive vat of fermenting porter burst at the Horse Shoe Brewery, it unleashed a tidal wave of beer that destroyed homes and claimed the lives of eight people.

We’ll dive into the details of the disaster, exploring how it happened, the aftermath for the brewery, and how this e...

In this episode, we explore the intricate relationship between alcohol and Muslim societies, based on an insightful thematic issue introduced by Philippe Bourmaud and Nessim Znaien. Delving into over five centuries of history, we challenge the simplistic view of alcohol prohibition as purely a religious matter. Instead, we examine how the regulation of alcohol has been shaped by state-building, colonialism, and globalization, servi...

In this episode, we journey back to ancient Greece and Rome to explore how people of the time explained the age-old phenomenon of drunkenness. Drawing from a fascinating article, we unpack three prevailing theories: the “human cause” (linked to individual physiology), the “wine cause” (blaming the properties of wine itself), and the “divine cause,” which credited Dionysus, the god of wine, for its intoxicating effects.

We’ll d...

In this episode, we take a deep dive into the captivating history of Egypt’s beer industry from 1880 to 1970, based on a thought-provoking dissertation. We explore how the development of modern beer production in Egypt was far more than just an import of Western practices. Instead, it was a complex process that intertwined technological innovation, cultural adaptation, and political conflict, ultimately reflecting the broader shift...

In this episode, we pop the tab on the unexpected world of beer cans and their value in archaeology. Drawing from D.B.S. Maxwell’s article, “Beer Cans: A Guide for the Archaeologist,” we explore how the evolution of beer can designs—from punch-tops to aluminum—offers a fascinating tool for dating archaeological sites. Discover how slight changes in can shape, style, and construction over time can help archaeologists pinpoint the ag...

In this episode, we set sail into the gripping history of scurvy and the forgotten remedies that could have saved countless lives. Based on Christian Berger’s research, we explore how Viking sailors in the 9th century discovered a potent cure for scurvy—malt infusion—only for it to be lost to European naval authorities for centuries. Join us as we dive into the devastating impact of scurvy on European sailors during the age of expl...