I’ve been brewing for a number of years and over that time I’ve developed several specific interests. One interest is related to methods of understanding and improving the brewing process.

I’ve always been a science-oriented person.  I like being systematic. Consequently, when I brew something, I like to brew in a series of steps during which each step is only one change away from some standard. It may take quite a few brews to be able to arrive at the end product that I desire.  A few years ago, I spent a LOT of time working on a Bavarian-style weissbier.  I experimented with different grain bills and yeasts to arrive at what I was shooting for.  When several people told me that the weissbier tasted identical to what they had consumed while in Germany, I felt like I had accomplished my goal of brewing a quality product, but it took a while to get there.

I am fascinated by yeast.  It is quite amazing what those little buggers can do! One of my “Medieval” interests in yeast is the transition from thermo-tolerant strains to the cryro-tolerant strains in the 15th or 16th century (depending on who you reference!). I find it interesting to consider what the beer might have tasted like during that transition.  Also, how did this transition transpire? Did cryro-tolerant yeast arrive in Bavaria from an outside source?  There has been some very cool (pun intended) research on this latter possibility that has shown up in the literature recently. [I’ll be writing more about this soon!]

I am also interested in the unusual. This is probably the reason I became interested in a digestif called Nocino. This drink with purported Medieval roots (I’m working on finding Period references) is made from unripe walnuts (hull and all!). Modern Nocino usually has a variety of spices, herbs, citrus zest, and other ingredients combined with the quartered walnuts and steeped in a neutral spirit. It is an acquired taste!  I’ve been experimenting with several different ingredients and I have a project planned for this spring that will involve steeping the ingredients in several different liquids, not all of which are neutral. [More on this in a later post.]

Finally, I brew the occasional mead (I have a preference for metheglins), concoct several cordials, and cook up many different styles of beer.  So, feel free to follow my blog and leave comments and questions!!