TRY THE BEER
TO BREW BEER, YOU NEED TO KNOW YOUR AGRICULTURE
Making beer is quite the science. Through thousands of years, the process of brewing beer has developed and changed. However, one thing has been consistent: to brew beer, you need to know about agriculture. You must be able to grow grain because grain is the basis of beer.
... AND BE IN A BIT OF LUCK!
Brewing beer is a chemical and biological process. For it to succeed, you need good raw materials: barley, hops and water. In addition, it requires a reasonable hygiene, a well-executed malting (sprouted barley) and fermentation, good tools, good storage conditions and last but certainly not least: a lot of luck!
BEER FOLLOWED THE SEASON IN THE COUNTRY
Brewing beer was an annual event on the farm right up to the 1900s. It was better to brew in the spring and fall to avoid the hottest and coldest months and this was when the good and strong beer was brewed. The everyday beer was brewed when the barrel was almost empty! After the beer is prepared, it needs to brew for at least two weeks up to three months. The longer the brew, the better the beer. For home consumption, the beer is bottled in small wooden kegs with handles, which are placed on the dining table. If you needed to bring it, when working in the field, the beer was tapped on a beer barrel (see photo exhibition) or on a "bearded man", which was a can made of clay.
A SPACE FOR BREWING TURNED UTILITY KITCHEN
In the 1800s, each farm had its own small brewery for private use. The Danish word ‘bryggers’ derives from 'bryggerhus', which means ‘brewing house’ - a space for brewing. Later, this room was used for other large-scale work such as baking and butchering. In modern homes, the utility room has become a kind of utility kitchen with both a deep freezer, washing machine and central heating.
CHEERS, KIDS!
Throughout the Middle Ages and up until the 19th century, all Danes drank a lot of beer - that also applied to the children. The water in the public wells was often contaminated, so drinking water could make you sick. Beer was important in staying hydrated, but the beer also provided nourishment. Beer was, however, both brewed with a low and a high alcohol percentage. The low-percentage beer was for daily use. Strong beer was meant for special occasions and parties.
THE MUSEUMFARM KARENSMINDE
Beer was also brewed at the Museum Farm Karensminde. However, this was not common in this region in the 1800s, so it was not something you talked about. The brewing was done in secret on the farm. This was undoubtedly connected with Inner Mission’s influence on the population of the moor. Inner Mission advocated abstinence and it was unseemly to get drunk.
A TASTE OF HISTORY
Today, we still brew beer at the Museum Farm Karensminde. It is done according to proud traditions dating back to the 1800s, using only home-grown grain and hops. The grain is a six-row spring barley from 1860, which is cultivated at the museum farm. The most highly regarded malting barley in England is also a six-row spring barley. It gives a different kind of beer than the ordinary two-row barley, which is most often used in modern beer production.
You can buy our Karensminde Ale in the museum shop.
PHOTOS
Gæringstønde - Fermentation barrel
Small fermentation barrel that could be placed on the kitchen table. Usually, the household had a larger fermentation barrel in the cellar.
Korn (seksradet Lynderupgård vårbyg) - Grain (six-row Lynderupgaard spring barley)
From ordinary grain to usable malt – a process of three stages: steeping (soaking), germination (sprouting) and drying. After this, the malt is crushed.
Maltkværn - Malt grinder
Here, the malted barley is crushed before being mashed with hot water. (To malt: to convert grain into malt by soaking it, allowing it to germinate and then drying it).
Ølkar - Beer vessel
The small vessel is for mashing (starch process through heating). The big tub is for sifting.
Øllejle - Beer barrel (dated c. 1850)
The drinking can of the time. Used to carry beer etc. when working in the field. The beer keg was carried in a strap over the shoulder.
