Monday, August 27, 2012
Ancient Ales
Greg Kitsock, a writer for the Washington Post, comments about Embers of the Deceased, a collaboration brew between two local DC brewers, DC Brau and Bluejacket.
I sampled the beer at DC Brau last Saturday. It has a subtle smoky aroma and a mild bacony flavor over a light body and a low, sessionable ABV.
Greg's article provides excellent detail about the historical aspects of the style, known alternately as a Grätzer or Grodziskie.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/all-we-can-eat/post/the-life-left-in-embers-of-the-deceased/2012/08/25/09bb7668-eee9-11e1-b0eb-dac6b50187ad_blog.html
In his article, Greg asks the rhetorical question which sparked this post: are you a fan of extinct beer styles revived Jurassic Park-style?
Ancient ales. Forgotten recipes. Neglected techniques. Rediscovered ingredients. How much interest is there in reviving old beer styles? What long-lost brew will hit the shelves next? And will anyone buy it?
Or were such ancient ales "lost" from civilization for good reason?
What say you?
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Not everything old will be--or even should be--new again! Yes, some things deserve to fade away permanently. (I am thinking of men's powdered wigs, for example.)
ReplyDeleteI guess one thing I do like about the DC Brau / Bluejacket collab is that they respected the history of this lost style. They did not try to bill this brew as something NEW. They billed it, instead, as an homage.