BEER-BREWING IN EUROPE

Most European countries have long-standing brewing traditions, with more than 3,000 large and small breweries in the continent. In addition to England and Ireland, the most interesting brewing countries are traditionally considered to be Germany, Belgium and the Czech Republic, as well as Italy and the Nordic countries of Norway, Finland and Denmark, and even the tiny country of Lithuania on the Baltic Sea, by the experienced connoisseurs of taste and diversity in beer (http://biertravel.com/travel/the-13- best-beer-countries-in-the-world-imho/).

In many European languages, the word for beer (Mand. - pi fiu) is similarly sounding and is derived from the Indo-European root -alit. Therefore, the English ale, as well as the Swedish ol, the Danish and Norwegian 01, the Finnish aid and the Estonian olu, and even the Lithuanian alas, are virtually the same word. Beer has been known in the present countries of Europe for over z thousand years. Initially, the ability to brew and to ferment beer was considered to be an exceptional, purely magical skill. The pagans even had Gods of Beer. In Europe, the attitude to beer changed only after the church council that was held in 816 in the town ofAix la Chapelle, when the monasteries were allowed to engage in farming, pond fisheries and beer brewing. The church adopted the principle otliquida non fraguntlentum" meaning that beer could be consumed during times of fasting. This beer made with hops was healthier than the water from some sources or wells. Even now, in Europe, many of the breweries founded by the monks and called after their names (Paulaner, Franziskaner, Augustiner) are still functioning. During the Middle Ages in Europe, beer was made not only in the monasteries, but also in manor houses and towns. Interestingly, women were brewers. They used leaven to make bread, and also used it to make a higher fermentation beer (ale). In the long run, the best brewers began to keep inns, taverns and barrel shops. In the 17th and titth centuries the brewer's profession became very popular. At that time, there were 69 breweries in Klaipida (Memel), the small port town on the Baltic Sea; while there were as many as 15,mo breweries in the capital city of the British Empire, London. The great revolution oldie breweries in the Old Continent began in 1842 when the Bavarian brewer Joseph Grois made beer from a light malt, from the hops of the Zatec region and with the soft water of the town of Pilsner. He called it Pilsner, and it later became known as lager. The bright and refreshing lager grew in popularity and became the number one beer in nearly all European countries -from Gcrmany and Denmark and Lithuania to Scandinavia and South Europe. The water used for its production is first softened, although some areas have naturally soft water. For example, in the northern parts of Eastern Europe, the water from the wells is most suitable for beer as it is soft and crystal clean.

Of course, not everyone liked only one type of light lager. For example, in the 19th century, a doctor from Klaipida, Fr. J. Morgen, described the tastes and habits of the townsmen. He wrote that a strong double lager (Doppelbier) and a dark, thick porter (Porter) were the most popular in this port city. Apparently, these types of beer helped the hard-working workers in the port to recover from their exertions. In the summer, the population preferred the refreshing Tafelbier (also called Schemper) - a light, pale beer that approximately matches the current style of Pilsner (Pits). In the second half of the 19th century, with the advent of the industrial revolution, the large breweries - public companies -stepped forward. Often, the companies that employed Germans as the chief brewers in their team were at the forefront of this industry. The Germans founded the famous Tsingtao brewery in China; while in Russia, the 2igulevskoe beer was made by the brewery built by a famous merchant from Vienna, Vocan, in Samara near the Volga River. On the Baltic Sea, the most famous breweries were WaldschIciechen (later Aldaris) that was founded in 1865 in Riga by Joachim Daudcr; and the stock company brewery built in Klaipcda by the Reinke brothers in 1784. Meanwhile, the beer being made in other cities such as in Dortmund, Germany, by the Dortmunder Union was so different in style from the average lager that it in 1873 was given a distinct name - Dortmunder European Export. In Europe, the great mastery of agriculture, and especially of growing barley, significantly contributed to beer brewing. 'the quality of the barley depends on the climate, the soil conditions, and the long-term knowledge or the agriculturalist. Lately, a large and starchy grain with a relatively low protein content has been grown for making lager; for example, the German variety "fluke. This allows to the producers to increase their yields, to grow barley that is not genetically modified and to obtain the full body of the beer. European brewers are well versed in malt preparation. After roasting the malt, they select combinations to make beers of the most diverse flavours and colours - from pale yellow to as black as night. For example, dark lager (European Dark Lager or Schwarzbier) is made by adding dark roasted caramel or even chocolate and black malt to the main malt. Mother important ingredient is the hops. Knowledge about hops also dates back to the Middle Ages. For example, the first set of laws of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania - the 152.9 Statute - includes severe penalties for the destruction of hop plantations. However, brewers from all over Europe mainly buy hops that is grown on the European foothills, in the conditions that are best suited for them, such as in the German regions of Tettnager, Hallertau and Spalt, as well as in the Czech region of Zatcc. In Europe, it is believed that in order to properly mature the flowers, the "legs" of the hops (the roots) must stay in the water, while the top (the crown) has to receive a lot of sunshine. In the zoth century, European brewers allowed a greater degree of experimentation, while also maintaining their technological rigor and the highest quality standards. For example, brewers started to use wheat malt again in addition to barley (that had been prohibited by the German Beer Purification Act (Reinheitsgebot), which indicated that wheat can only be used for bread production). White/ wheat beer (Wcizcn, Wcissbicr or Witbicr) started to come back and become popular again only at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the zoth century, mostly due to the efforts of the Bavarian brewery G. Schneider & Sohn. This modern, turbid beer is served in high glasses and is continuing its renaissance in the 21SC century. Beer brewing in the European Union has involved a constant struggle between conservatism and new ideas and creativity. Nowadays, many breweries are recovering and improving the historical recipes. Following the trend for craft beers, brewers are experimenting with various styles of upper and lower fermentation beers. This has given rise not only to new flavours, but also to new beer production lines -and a bright future awaits beer brewing in Europe!