A Place in the World

A Hopping Good Time.

It doesn't matter whether it's medieval society or modern, is there anything that symbolizes “social” more than beer? People have been brewing beer since 7000 BCE in the East and 3500 BCE in the West.

Hops have been being added to beer since at least the 9th century. The practice began in Germany and spread west from there.

[Public domain]

If you'd like to try your hand at brewing a bit for your own pleasure, I've looked up a few sites that will give you the basics in one of two methods.

You can try the Medieval method, which will give you a less certain outcome but still a creditable product.

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[Public domain]

This site offers interesting historical background with a thorough discussion of process packed into it. Likewise this site, although this one does give directions for how to make your own from scratch, starting at the feed store.

This site has a ton of great information and the link in it has even more. If you want to try your hand at “real” medieval brewing, this is the place to start.

See page for author [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

If you're using your own hops with this method, you'll need to know a bit about the harvesting of your hops. This video shows clearly what hops look like when they're ready to harvest.

Both of these sites have information which will help you harvest, use, and store your hops. Try this one from Beer and Brewing Magazine or this one from Homebrewing Supply Co

I found this video detailing a great way to dry your hops without laying out a great deal of money on your set-up. My only comment is that in rainy areas you might want to set it up in an open garage or other protected area.  By the way, this method could be used for drying many different herbs.

Or you can go with the Modern method, which will give you a more consistent brew with a flavor more nearly like the beer modern palates are accustomed to.

The Homebrewer's Association has an excellent step-by-step tutorial  for the beginner.

By Makyo (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons

Once you've mastered the basics, you can set about customizing your brew. Beer and Brewing magazine has this tutorial on how to hop up your homebrew.

[Public Domain]

There are different types of hops. There are the original four varieties used in the Middle Ages are known as “the noble hops”. This site has a description of these four and their influence on your brew and this one gives a list of newer varieties with names that might to lead to confusion when you're in the brew shop to acquire your hops.

Before you head out to the brew shop for those hops, you'll want to read over this list of (all? most of? an awful lot of?) hops varieties and the flavors they will impart to your brew so you aren't completely overwhelmed by your choices once you get there.

I wish you happy brewing whichever method you use! Let me know how your first batch turns out.

[Public Domain]

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