Brief history of brewing in Britain — Part I

Friends of Training Centre Raya London, today we hope to stir up your enthusiasm not only with our new article about this wonderful drink — the beer, but also to stir up enthusiasm in learning English. We always try to offer interesting and engaging bilingual texts (you can change in between the two versions from the top of the screen), and this way we can stimulate your learning by comparing the translation. You will find new articles in our blog twice a month. We would be happy if you could give us some interesting topics for our future articles! Contact us for courses for beginners and advanced English.

Now let’s talk about beer! The wonderful thing about British brewing is the habit of pubs to keep the beer to mature even further in their basements. This way, beer tastes better and it is closer when needed. And something mandatory for it — the carbonation is natural result from the fermentation process.

Let’s see how the beer has appeared in these lands and how it came to today’s tastes!

Beer was brewed in Britain before the arrival of the Romans and certainly continued during their domination. In 1980, archaeologists found boards describing the consumption in the Roman Fort Windland (in present-day Northumberland). This was dated back between 90 and 130 years of the new era. And the record relates to the delivery of ceruese or beer. The purchase of malt used in brewing is also reflected.

It is believed that brewing on the islands is a tradition of the Celts. Before hops were used in the beer, they seasoned it with honey, marsh sadder or wild wormwood.

Over the Middle Ages, beer was a widely spread drink. Unlike southern Europe, the cultivation of grapes on the Island was difficult or impossible. For that reason, wine did not become a traditional drink. During these years, beer has been brewed for both commercial and home use and has been universally used. Brewing beer also helped with protecting people from contagious illnesses. As we already mentioned, beer was widely spread so even the youngest ones and poorest were drinking it. To ensure the quality of the beer, brewers organised societies to supervise the brewing process and to prepare it to its highest standards.

In 822 a Carolling Abbot described for the first time the flavouring of the beer using hops. In addition to bitterness and aroma, hops contribute to slower deterioration of the beer, as it has preservative properties. However, the constant use of hop in the beer was introduced slowly. Before hops were cultivated in Britain, the beer with hops was imported all the way from Amsterdam. By 1428 hops was widely cultivated in Britain and in the 15^th century it was separated in two main types. The one type was without hops called ale and the other one with hops- beer. There was a huge supply.  One census for tax purposes in the 16^th century of establishments serving beer, shows the following numbers: 14 202 beer-sellers, 1,631 inns and 329 taverns.

The 18th century weld London with a new fashion — the dark beer called porter. It is distinguished by the fact that it is left to mature, unlike other beers which are drunk freshly brewed

And in 1797 Josef Brimah invented something wonderful — a pump through which the favourite drink can be pumped straight out of the basement and poured into the pints of the thirsty British. The characteristic handle of the automated system remains in the design of the pumps to this day.

Dear friends of Training centre Raya London, there is a second part to this article which we cannot wait to share with you. Follow our blog and be the first one to read the articles we upload! Study English with real passion and do not worry about getting involved in local conversations with local people while sharing beer with them in a cosy pub!

Author: Iveta Radeva