beerdirect.co.nz

Welcome to beerdirect.co.nz. New Zealand's first on-line store exclusively for beer.
History
Few would dispute beer as one of the oldest known alcoholic beverages. Some believe barley, harvested for bread making, naturally malted by the rain and sun, and then fermented by wild yeasts resulted in the first brews. Others suggest the natural fermentation of wild grains was the reason man gave up hunting and gathering to settle down and grow crops. Each civilization, whether it was barley or wheat in the Middle East, rice in Asia, corn in the Americas or millet or sorghum in Africa, independently discovered what we know today as beer - or saki (not really wine but a rice beer) in Japan.

The early brews were very hit and miss, and, though possibly salubrious, without a doubt not the most savoury. As understanding of the brewing process developed, the art of beer making, considered by early civilizations a spiritual practice, slowly evolved to a science. The first true breweries were quite possibly those of monastic orders - monks are even credited with introducing the idea of cold storage, or lagering, of beer in cool mountain caves, and the first recorded use of hops was by the Benedictine nun Hildegarde.

The brewing process today remains effectively unchanged. Increasingly, ironically, brewers are reverting to the Reinheitsgebot, beer purity law of 1516, which states the only ingredients allowed in beer are water, malted barley or wheat, and hops. In other ways too, such as through the use of spices, honey, fruits and berries or even flowers, brewers are calling on the past to create beers for the future, and beer is enjoying a resurgence in contemporary culture.

The brewing process, unlike wine, which varies with vintage, allows the skilled brewer to create, even clone, a beer which remains consistently true in style and flavour from batch to batch. And, this is indeed expected of the brewer. Over time, regional variations, today more commonly termed styles, evolved - Pilsners, Bocks, Stouts or Porters, to name a few. Demand for beers from specific regions, or of particular styles grew, and with this growth in demand the emergence of brands.

BeerDirect.co.nz, PO Box 105491, Auckland City, New Zealand.
tel. 0508 Beerdirect - email. info@beerdirect.co.nz
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