More on the origin of Lager

Posted on December 20, 2011 by

Czech this time. A lovely bit of ‘proper’ research done by someone who speaks the language, Evan Rail in Prague. And a summary and further comment by Martyn Cornell. Great reading.

Posted in Lager | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

How about a history lesson with that lager?

Posted on June 21, 2011 by

Canadian lager historyNineteenth century lager (and brewing) moguls were not backwards in coming forwards about their own role in the greatness of their beers. Whether by design or association, the pioneers of the new scientific brewing from the 1850s onwards were men who made an impact on their local communities and countries. And that has continued to be a theme in advertising and marketing ever since, although it has gone in and out of fashion over the years.

An interesting post on this phenomenon in Canada appeared in the Globe and Mail recently: How about a history lesson with that lager?

Posted in Advertising, Brands, Brewing history, Lager | Tagged , , ,

Delving into lager’s past

Posted on September 10, 2010 by

Pete Brown is the latest to go digging beneath the surface of lager history. Quite literally.

Plzen (places in the Czech Republic have both German and Czech names, and when you’re there it starts to feel appropriate to use the Czech spelling) is synonymous with beer, and with the date 1842, when Josef Groll allegedly brewed the first golden lager, the style which eventually became known as Pilsner.  That’s bollocks of course – there was golden lager before Groll – but there’s no denying the astonishing impact his intervention had on the beer world.

…as soon as the town was granted its charter in 1295, the citizens began to dig.  First cellars, then tunnels joining them up, and soon there was a 19km underground network inside the hill.

I think it’s time to declare a war on all self-serving 19th century industrialists who claim to have invented this or that. Seems to be that what they invented was the ability to build/brew/transport/sell it cheaper and faster for a mass market – a category that lager beer falls into nicely.

Posted in Beer, Brewing history, Lager