Saline knows how to celebrate important beers. Take note: This year will mark the fourteenth annual Main Street Oktoberfest. There are breweries. And new in 2018, Celtic Festival will feature a new craft beer pavilion. [1,2,3]
But how well do you really know craft beers?
Historian and author Ron Pattinson was in Michigan last week to correct some myths, talk blends, and share a pint or two with some 150+ people who came together for an evening on the campus of Eastern Michigan University (EMU). His presentation titled “18th Century English Brewing” was sponsored by Ann Arbor Brewers Guild, Brewery Becker, Brewid Brewery Consulting, and the EMU Department of Chemistry Fermentation Science program. [4,5,6,7,8,9]
Mr Pattinson has pegged the eighteenth century as the point at which “modern beer styles” first appeared and attributed this to the application of technology to brewing.
One of the variables that he used to set the stage for this was a note of simple differences among the variety of fuels used to kiln malt. Coke, wood, and straw — chosen based on regional availability — resulted in variation. A steady, even heat was most easily achieved using coke; straw could taint or darken malt.
Before getting into a discussion of formal science, he emphasized that these brewers were neither primitive nor lacking in practiced skills. They could and did judge mashing temperatures to a practical accuracy by sight alone. They were aware of the interaction of water and malts, further appreciating the different results that would come from using soft river water sources versus what could be gotten from a hard well. They controlled for hygiene.
Having established this foundation of respect (if not reverence), Ron Pattinson then moved to the discussion of measuring devices and calibrations. This was a ready bridge to the purpose behind the formal fermentation studies program started at Eastern Michigan University in 2016. [10]
He singled out the hydrometer as a pivotal instrument that transformed British brewing in 1770. Like many precision instruments, it wasn’t that it hadn’t been invented; rather, it was that it had not previously been applied to brewing. Why now? War and taxation were driving up costs tied to malts, and this drove incentives to get higher yeilds. Competition. [11,12]
The catalysts were in the blend.
Two other devices which rounded out the science trinity were the thermometer (1760) and attemperator (1780). These completed what was not just to be a turning point in consistency, but were also associated with large scale production and the ability to deliver up to five mashes produced at different temperatures — thus giving big breweries an edge.
Last but not least, it’s important to take note of the character of this event itself. Every attendee over the age of 21 was given the opportunity to sample before and after this talk a half-dozen or so special brews that were offered in an impressive pseudo-pub setup off the main presentation floor. It made for an opportunity for engaged-palate discussions of Mr Pattison’s revelations.
More importantly, it was fun.
Ron Pattinson’s disciplined work can add a rich new layer to the appreciation on the many special beers being produced today in Saline and shared among aficionados at any number of annually scheduled events in this city.
For more information, see his extensive blog titled “Shut up about Barclay Perkins” at the link below.
References
- “Oktoberfest” Saline Main Street.
- “Business Directory Search” Saline Area Chamber of Commerce.
- “Food & Drinks at the Celtic Festival” Saline Celtic Festival.
- Ann Arbor Brewers Guild (home page).
- Shut up about Barclay Perkins, Ron Pattison.
- “Ron Pattinson” Twitter.
- Brewery Becker (home page).
- Brewid Brewery Consulting (Facebook Page).
- “Fermentation Science” Eastern Michigan University.
- “There’s an Exact Science to Craft Beer and a University Degree to Study It” Dell Deaton (April 13, 2018) Saline Journal.
- “How to Use a Hydrometer” NorthernBrewerTV (April 12, 2012) YouTube.
- “A Chat With Ron Pattinson” Jim Barnes (March 21, 2012) YouTube.
- “The Burton Union system” Matthew Brynildson, Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine.
