According to historical records the fi rst civilised culture to brew beer were the Sumerians in Mesopotamia. They called it a divine drink and offered it to their gods. Even more interesting is the claim Noah liked a tipple and took beer aboard the Ark. There is also a specifi c hieroglyph for ‘brewer’, which shows the importance of beer in the culture of the Egyptians. According to Michael Hall’s ‘Beer History’ the Egyptians would gather in a ‘house of beer’ in the evenings. A medical document also exists which shows that in about 1600BC beer was used as a medicine.

Of 700 prescriptions 100 contained beer – a bit of good news indeed for today’s enthusiasts. In medieval times beer was brewed by women as it was considered ‘food-drink’. For instance brides would often sell ale to help pay for the wedding, hence the term ‘bride-ale’ or ‘bridal’. Another common expression at Christmas is ‘Yuletide’ which is derived from ‘ale-tide’ However, in today’s world Scotland is enjoying something of a renaissance in the art of brewing, with micro breweries located in city centres, lochside settings and in towns and villages across the country.

Different brews

There are two primary types of beer – ales and lagers.

The main distinction between them is the temperature at which beer is fermented. Ales are fermented at higher temperatures, 65- 75 degrees F, while lagers are fermented much colder at around 46-55F. Another distinction between ales and lagers is the type of yeast that is used in the fermentation process. Ales generally use top fermenting yeast. This means that the yeast floats on the surface for the first few days and then settles on the bottom. Lagers use bottom fermenting yeast, which does not float to the surface before settling. There is also a third type of beer that is far less common than ales or lagers and that is the lambic. True lambic is only brewed in the Payottenland region of Belgium and is fermented with wild yeast. This means that the beer is exposed to the Belgian air and its wild yeast and bacteria.

Supporting local ales

In the current climate, many pubs are facing a bleak future and a recent launch of a ‘LocAle’ scheme in Edinburgh and south-east Scotland is encouraging publicans and pub-goers alike to support local brewers. The initiative was launched by CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) and is designed to encourage pubs in south-east Scotland to stock at least one locally-produced real ale. The aim is to improve the local economy and inform pub goers about which beers are brewed locally. Representatives of Belhaven, the area’s oldest brewery, Stewart’s, the youngest, Broughton, Caledonian and Traquair are all supporting the move.

With all five breweries in the area committed to real ale, it should provide a real shot in the arm for the local pub trade in the troubled financial times. CAMRA director Colin Valentine said: ‘In the current climate, many pubs are facing a bleak future and ‘LocAle’ gives them a chance to emphasise their unique selling points by selling top quality locally produced real ales.’ Although the CAMRA initiative is located in the south of the country there are numerous micro breweries across the country offering fine ales and beers. One such brewery is Fyne Ales, set up on the shores of Loch Fyne in Argyll in 2001 using a redundant milk parlour in farm buildings at Achadunan, Cairndow. Their award winning ales include Highlander, Innishail, Piper’s Gold, Somerled and Vital Spark.

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Other local breweries include the Tryst Brewery in Larbert, An Teallach Ale Company near Garve in Ross-shire, Arran Brewery Ltd, Deeside Brewery, the Inveralmond Brewery, Perth, Kelburn Brewery, Sulworth Brewers, Castle Douglas, Innis and Gunn, Sinclair Breweries Ltd, Orkney and Cairngorm Brewery.

If you decide that you would rather make your own home brew then Forfar Home Brew and Edina Home Brew will be happy to give you all the advice that you need. www.camra.co.uk