This week we invited Tom our resident tour guide to share a story from his corner of the brewery. Tom says: As a history geek, I love discovering fascinating stories about the origins of beers. One of the things I like to touch upon on the Sambrook’s tour is the amount of European and American beers that are making their way to our fair shores. We take it for granted that they have travelled all this way and yet still taste perfect, but to understand how this became possible we need to go back more than a hundred years to Louis Pasteur, and one almighty grudge…

You see, following the Franco-Prussian war dear old Louis was viciously anti-German, so when he discovered that his annoyingly efficient enemy had created a new super-yeast, it bugged him somewhat. This new yeast allowed them to store the beer exceptionally well, and as a result its popularity was unprecedented. It was even named after the German word for ‘to store’ – lagen.

Yes, you guessed it, the German’s had just invented lager, and having to hear that dirty word uttered at every social gathering was the final straw for poor old Louis. He hatched an evil plan.

So he locked himself away and began studying the science of brewing. At this time it was believed that yeast was wholly uncontrollable and there was nothing you could do if a brew went wrong. Using his fair sized noggin’ Louis figured out a method to stabilise the yeasts, and therefore make them travel much further without spoiling. He was one up on the German’s, but he wasn’t finished there…

He took his body of work to Belgium, the Whitbread company, and to Denmark’s Carlsberg. But not Germany. In fact, he prohibited his work from being translated into German, ordering those who read it not to share the information with any German brewery. His aim was simple: collapse the German beer industry.

Queue a big smile from smug old Louis as the German’s drowned in all their unwanted beer.

Yeah, not quite. The German’s weren’t going to let a silly Frenchman stand in their way, so they simply did what they do best – get back to work and create something better. It’s why, throughout the ages, they have constantly been the pioneers of all things beer.

What happened next though, Pasteur could not have predicted. A German brewer by the name of Adolphus Busch was struggling to create a consistent beer. In fact, so terrible was his product that people often spat it straight out, and he survived only by virtue of being a damn good salesman. He left Germany looking for answers and it was then that he discovered Pasteur’s work. Jackpot, he thought, and set sale for America.

Armed with the know-how on yeast stabilisation, pasteurisation and his gift of the gab, Busch was the first person to create a beer that could move successfully from state to state. So dawned the age of the big beer brands in America.

And the name of his beer? Budweiser…

But this successful transportation had another knock-on effect. The early American beers were of course based on what the Europeans were doing, most notably the Germans. Now that beer could travel, however, the Europeans soon began learning from the Americans; and the Americans, in turn, learnt from the Europeans and so on and so forth. What Pasteur’s anti-German work on stable yeasts had done, ironically with the help of a German, was to not only create a much better product, but to ramp the evolution of brewing from first gear into fifth. They say we should love thy neighbour. Well it seems the beer industry would be a long, long way behind if the French hadn’t hated theirs.

So the next time you’re enjoying a continental lager or an American Pale Ale, raise your glass to the fantastically vengeful Louis Pasteur.

Do you know a great story from the brewing annals? Then come and join me for a tour of Sambrook’s; we’ll drink beer and be history geeks together.

Regular readers to the blog will remember Duncan’s post last year about his beer discoveries in France whilst on a well earned break with his wife Tracy.

All the team here love discovering new beers and more importantly love the fact that beer is starting to become more popular in places that have traditionally been wine growing regions, and the energy and enthusiasm that beer is creating globally. I too have had a similar experience last week. My mother lives in Spain in Andalusia, a small village near Nerja. I drink beer 80% of the time on taste and flavour, but by my own admission in the past I have only really drunk beer in Spain because it is served so beautifully cold. Although Spain does have a burgeoning beer scene, with Barcelona holding a beer festival with an enviable global line, those sorts of things had yet to reach the sunshine coast of Nerja. Or so I thought….

Since becoming a Beer Sommelier my mum has told everyone that of all the things I have ever done, she is most proud of this. I don’t know why but I do think that my beer drinking over the years has influenced her to try different beers herself, and she genuinely seems interested in industry. I am convinced she is so interested because she has had such warm experiences when meeting people I work with or that I know through beer and she regularly says “Isn’t everyone in these craft beer places so friendly” (you have to add a sweet little Yorkshire accent in your mind to get the full affect!) So it was with her little bit of beer geek fermented by her unshakable love for her only daughter that she proudly announced two weeks ago before my visit “They have opened up one of those craft beer shops in Nerja Jo. You’ll love it and the owner is so nice, in fact isn’t everyone in this craft beer scene so nice? Anyway, I bought you some beers but I think you should go”. To which her partner, Duncan could be overheard saying “She’ll be hours if you take her in there”.

My present on arrival

Javier was really passionate about beer and local producers. I also discovered he was a bit of a romantic at heart. I was naturally curious as to where the name of the shop came from. He showed me a painting on the wall that was by a Japanese artist, Foujita, who was a contemporary of Picasso’s in the 30s. It hung in the private gallery that his parents curated when he was small, so he grew up with this picture called the ‘Lion’ with the Lion tamer, as he described it a pale skinned, red headed curvy lady. He said for years he always struggled to find the right woman and then he met his wife, who he thought was just like the painting, so his theory is that it was meant to be and that he had been waiting for her all his life. A couple of beers in I thought this was a beautiful romantic theory, especially when I met his wife Charo and she was indeed very like the beauty in the picture.  After trying a few of the beers in the pack I was desperate to actually visit the shop. I was really pleased that the pack contained so many styles, I did not know brewers in her area were producing Kolsch beer, Rauchbier, Barley wines, Porters and ales galore!! The shop itself is down a little street off the beaten track. It was what I can only describe as heavenly, with a global range that rival any of the specialist beer shops we know in London, only with the addition of the wall of local beers. The shop is called La domadora y el Leon which is translated as “the lion tamer and the lion”. Javier, the owner, was in the midst of eloquently talking to some customers about different styles and choices when we walked in which was an instant clue that I was going to love the place.

It was only on reflection that I realised I had spent my youth looking at the poster of Marti Pellow from the band Wet, Wet, Wet on my bedroom wall and I gave up on him years ago so maybe this theory doesn’t work for everyone?

Javier told me that a lot of the brewers were small and ‘one man bands’ as he described them, but were very passionate. As he said that his friend Juan from a brewer dropped in a delivery from his brewery called Mammooth. Could I be more excited? We enjoyed a really well put together Pale Ale of Juan’s and yes we did in fact chat for hours in what was an incredible afternoon in great company. On the way home Mum said “Weren’t they all so friendly (hic)?”. Yes mum they were.

The standout beer for me was one using adjuncts called La Socarrada which uses honey and rosemary. Random in a beer I know and it could have been oh so hit and miss, but it was in fact stunning. It did however cry out for food, in particular a lamb roast or a game lasagne. A few have made it home with me for that very reason.

So if you ever find yourself in Andalusia, be sure to make the journey to Javier’s shop. Only don’t drive and definitely book out the day!

My Mum in the shop