By Chef Liz A
I’m not going in depth about how to drink beer, because if you’re celebrating St. Patty’s Day, you most likely already know how to do that.
Let’s go deeper.
Today, Guinness is served at almost every bar either on tap or in a can. Irish beer has been around for over 5,000 years and is widely popular, however, beer itself has been around for much longer than that.
Beer was not invented, but discovered around 10,000 B.C. as a result of the Agricultural Revolution in Egypt, fermentation was an accidental by-product of gathering wild grains.
It was so essential it was treated principally as a food, consumed daily and in great quantities at religious festivals and celebrations.
Monks who came to the Mediterranean for their missionary work brought back this knowledge and started making beer in Europe, since hops aren’t native to the region and hard to grow, Barley was used instead.
During their Lenten fasting , the monks would drink beer and give it the name “liquid bread”.
According to legend, even St. Patrick had a private brewer, a priest named Mescan.
It wasn’t until the 18th century that brewing became commercialized. Guinness, now one of the most popular Breweries in the world, was established in the mid 1700’s making ales.
By 1799 the founder, Arthur Guiness, decided to focus on porters which are much darker and more robust in flavor, and created one of the most beloved and well known styles in the world.
Hops and aromatics create wonderfully hearty dishes like stews, and are great in Corned Beef.
I love having excuses to cook with beer and St. Patrick’s day is one of the best times to utilize this versatile ingredient.
Similar to wine, beer can compliment or ruin a meal if you don’t know what you're doing, so, here is your quick guide!
I’ve been told by my team, that they disagree about IPA’s, but this is my blog.
We are able to create entire menus that incorporate beer in each meal one way or another and have it flow seamlessly. Ask your chef how we can incorporate this ancient wonder into your next meal!