Brewing, blending, mixing

Bierberaad: Henri Reuchlin, Matthijs Bouw, Daniel Lansbergen, The New Scientist, Toon van den Broek, Amsterdam Brewboys

5 Jun 2015

This edition of Bierberaad we will look back, in order to go forward. Together with artists, brewers, architects and cocktail-shakers we will travel in time through the history of our fermented gold. Including the first bread beers ever brewed (6000 years ago!), medieval beer mixing procedures and modern takes on unusual ingredients. How about using urine for instance? Or mixing it up with water, Oude Geuze and smoked Urbock?

Doors open: 18.30. Talks start at 20:00.

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Handing out beers - Handing out beers at Bierberaad Xiang Yu Yeung

Program by beer curator and artist Henriëtte Waal

Mixing art, beer and bread with Henri Reuchlin.

Guest editor at Bier! Magazine, writer of the book Van Brood tot Bier, founder of Bierburo, brewer and initiator of the Nederlandse Week van het Bier. It’s fair to say that Henri Reuchlin knows his way around the brewing community. Tonight he will elaborate on the arts and how beer is used by artists throughout (art)history. He will accompany this with an on stage demonstration of “mixing”. This method was applied in medieval times and involves the mixing of beer with water. The receipt for this concoctions will consist of a Boon Oude Geuze with a smoked Schenkerla Urbock and Amsterdam tap water.

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The Peasant Dance - Oil-on-panel by Flemish renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder, painted in c. 1569.

But there is more to be said about our beer history. The invention of beer dates back to the Sumerians, living in Mesopotamie around 6000 years ago. The symbol for beer in Sumerian cuneiform script is a vessel with a spiked base. Their “bread beer” was produced by fermenting a porridge of crumbled baked bread and water, with additional herbs, honey or dates for extra flavour. Because of the floating breadcrumbs this type of beer is usually drank with a straw. And that’s exactly what we’ll do. In order to go back in time, Henri will bring his version of bread beer.

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Sumerian tile depicting a beer vessel. - In Sumerian times (6000 years ago) bread beer was depicted by a vessel with a spiked base. Drawn merely as a downward pointing triangle with top. As shown just right of the center of this inscription.

Making beer cocktails with Daniel Lansbergen

It's hard to scare Daniel Lansbergen with unusual ingredients and heavy flavours. As the owner of the soon to be opened Behind Bars Cocktail bar in Utrecht, he will try to confront us with some of the more radical tones and flavours. Like a true shaker, he will create a complex new beer cocktail on the spot.

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Daniel Lansbergen working his magic - Daniel Lansbergen. Mixer of cocktails and beer.

Berend Strik and Matthijs Bouw from Bierpaviljoen

The Beer Pavilion is a design by artist Berend Strik and architect Matthijs Bouw that was commissioned by Heineken. The Pavilion recycles urine and transforms it into beer. The execution of the design would be most relevant for countries dealing with water scarcity. The urine is filtered and then used to make beer, which means there is no use of clean water and waste water is recycled. However, the Beer Pavilion was never realized. Matthijs will show us the design and share the politics around this project.

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World map of drought disasters - As recorded by EMDAT (1974 - 2004)

Comparative yeast tasting with Pieter Langendijk from Amsterdam Brewboys

"As the cold is broken with summers' bright. Winter wheat is harvested to produce our golden haze." It's time for Witbier. The Amsterdam Brewboys just launched their newest wheat beer called Aestival, at Bierberaad we are going to taste the end result but also their different test batches that will reveil the different flavors that wild yeasts adds to the beer.

Joris Janssen from the New Scientist magazine

Joris is an earth and environmental scientist and writes for the Dutch version of New Scientist magazine. The coming edition of the magazine is devoted to beer and we will discuss the highlights during Bierberaad. We will talk beer mythes such as the effects of alcohol on hormones or how beer in relates to breast feeding but also the latest scientific news regarding yeasts and fermentation.

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Pouring beer during Bierberaad: Reinventing Craftmanship - Our beer team makes sure that everyone gets a tasting glass. Xiang Yu Yeung

Toon van den Broek about 'Geuze steken'

Toon started brewing 40 years ago in Groningen. For the last 8 years he concentrated on brewing his own Lambiek and distilling (steken) a Groninger Geuze. He is going to tell us about the art of brewing Lambiek, the specifics of blending a Geuze and the complexity in all the elements of the taste.
please note that this talk will be in Dutch!

Tastings

This Bierberaad includes 9 (!) tastings, glasses are handed out during the presentations:

Bread Beer by Henri Reuchlin
Live Medieval Mixed Beer by Henri Reuchlin
Cobbler cocktail by Daniel Landsbergen
Negroni variation cocktail by Daniel Landsbergen
Indian Pilsener by Cobra
Aestival Witbier by Amsterdam Brewboys
Aestival test batch by Amsterdam Brewboys
Lambiek homebrewed by Toon van den Broek
Geuze homebrewed and blended by Toon van den Broek

Information
Bierberaad
Friday 5 June
Biotoop Mediamatic, Dijksgracht 6, Amsterdam
Door open & food at 18.30
Talks start at 20:00

Tickets: €15 (incl. membership and tasting)

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