A travelogue of my 2016 Make Mead Like a Viking book tour.
For raw ales, as with any beer, the sky is pretty much the limit when it comes to flavoring ingredients, but there are some that are more common traditionally than others.
The concepts of raw ale and Nordic farmhouse yeasts first worked their way into my head when researching historical brewing for my first book Make Mead Like a Viking. I began to experiment more in-depth when I began to focus more on beer brewing for my second book Brew Beer Like a Yeti. It seemed that as I delved deeper into this fascinating subject, my yearning for knowledge just kept growing. The rabbit hole was long and deep…and very, very old.
In this 3-part series, I will be exploring this book and the avenues it opens up for changing the face of modern brewing by stepping back in time. First, I will be presenting my interview with Garshol on his new book, followed by my review of the book; then I will cover my explorations in brewing with the techniques, ingredients and yeasts I was introduced to by Garshol and Laitinen.
I’m excited to be headed to the UK! I’ve got several events planned in the short time I’ll be there. First, I’ll be heading to Manchester in northern England for a brew day and book signing at Beer Nouveau. England’s smallest commercial brewery, Beer Nouveau is my kind of brewery. They eschew modern conventions and look to recreate traditional “heritage” beer styles.
