Mash Tun Journal #004
Welcome to our 4th installment of Mash Tun, beer fans!
Where we went across the pond last issue, here we head Down Under.
Jamie & I scour the earth’s south side, trying to find a cold drink in a hot land of corporate Brazilian beer. Brian Mier gives us the run down on how Brazil got that way and where it goes from here. And Kyle Smith and Sarah Morton tell the story of South America’s first beer – the maize-fermented and spit-fermented chicha.
Eliot Crumpley takes us to the other side of the southern hemisphere with the history of a peculiar Australian tradition, and then brings us back to Chicago’s south side where a new peculiar tradition in beerology is taking root. And while we’re talking Chicago, Paul Durica, historical shamus, investigates a certain blue ribbon awarded at a memorable Midway event.
From beer capers and cultures, we dive into the golden brews themselves, probing ingredients, processes & pairings. Dave Kahle picks apart hops with a clinical eye, and Ian Wise puts beer up against one of our favorite stinky cheeses. If that wasn’t enough to get you talking, eating, drinking & brewing, Chris Jacobsen then gives you the keys to making even more beers out of the ones you currently have, so the cask never runs too dry (unless you like it that way, dry-hop IPA).
After the learning comes the drinking. We christen our new West Coast outpost in Los Angeles this issue: Laura “Queenie” Nunez illustrates Los Angeles’ smallest bar and Barrett “the Babe” Baffert turns crash test dummy on some truly funky brews. Closer to home and the holidays, Eric “Lab Rat” Olson tests the potions so you don’t get spooked by pumpkin beers.
After veni & vici, if you feel up to conquering the beer world, we interview the people with hands-on experience in the art & business of brewing. EdMar brings you the fascinating tale of Gary, Indiana’s 18th St. Brewery, and Kate Bryant introduces you to the newest Illinois brewery, Penrose in Geneva.
All this yummy stuff is wrapped with a tight bow of booze-porn imagery and rad humans.
Take, drink, remember & believe.