A very happy Friday to all of you, and it's FNBB time again!
I know craft brew has become mainstream when the newspaper food section is suggesting what beer to go with Thanksgiving dinner.
The specific suggestions are heavy on Bay Area and other California beers but the style ideas sound good and she even throws in a little history:
None of these suggestions are in any way authentic, however. According to Gregg Smith, author of "Beer in America: The Early Years - 1587-1840" (Brewers Publications) the settlers who invented Thanksgiving were probably drinking beer during their turkey dinner, but they were drinking some very crude stuff. Hops and barley were in short supply, and things like bark, berries, herbs, molasses and corn stalks were used in their place.
That's a book I will have to look for. Give thanks Thursday for the improvement of American beer since then.
This strange beer story is a few months old but I only recently found this link with enough detail that it made sense: check out beer concentrate for thirsty backpackers.
I've got SN Celebration Ale. What are you drinking?