Brewing After The Apocalypse

[Plastic Brewkettle]

It would be difficult to adjust homebrewing techniques after some catastrophic event (bomb, comet, meteor, a sudden drastic drop in size to the Schwartzchild Radius). Imagine brewing over open flame. No potable water. Materials scarce. Do you have enough brew on hand to last until you can dial in primitive beer-making magic? I've got plenty, but I'd conserve.

 

[MaxStout]

But...just think how good the fishing would be.

 

[Beerstein]

It's on my "beer bucket list" to try a small beer with wild yeast. Yeah...embrace the tart!

 

[seatazzz]

Was thinking the same thing tonight when considering starting another thread; you beat me to it. A few years back, when a certain person "won" the US presidency (keeping snarky comments out of this that are more suited to the Debate thread), I seriously considered stocking up (read: fill my garage with bags of grain) in case the revolution was finally at hand. Now that we are on the cusp of possible war with a country whose name rhymes with Musha, the same ideas are rolling around my head. I farm yeast, have good water from a decent aquifer, and as long as I have access to natural gas I'm good; if nothing else I can cut down the trees in our yard and go the old-fashioned route of wood-fired kettles. Added bonus: beer would be a very valuable trading commodity if it comes down to a bartering society. And spent grain can be used to make bread, where once again you can create a sourdough starter in place of yeast.

 

[madscientist451]

I'd skip brewing and forage for apples and whatever other fruit I could find and make cider. Any grain I had stashed would be used for food, or saved for brewing when the food situation stabilized.
If I could grow my own grain and had a surplus, I'd get back to brewing again and then mix the spent grain with flour and make bread.
https://www.morebeer.com/articles/Brewing_Ancient_Beer

 

[Plastic Brewkettle]

@seatazzz, My thought was having to brew sans gas/electricity. Temperature management would be rough. Using beer as a trading commodity would make one "rich" after the apocalypse.
@madscientist451, Well, there are the directions! Thanks.

 

[passedpawn]

 

[eldernut]

I love these kinds of scenarios.

Of course the best thing is an iron gut, I've spent a lifetime exposing myself to all manner of street food served up in unsanitary conditions without suffering food poisoning. Woebetide all those urban peeps who've never eaten anything that hasn't come from a sanitised, pasteurising and chemically nuked facility free of all allergens. Those folks will be short lived. To be honest though if SHTF to the extent that all our modern systems go down the priorities of the individual will be very far from getting rich by opening the first village pub. But its fun to think of things. I just wish I'd taken the time to YouTube myself building survival shelters on inhabited farmland as that appears to be de rigeur for preppers.

I did however leanr to dig clay, process it and make all manner of vessels by handbuilding so no wheel required and of course the good old pit firing method. I may be able to turn out a mean mug or two in the event that all industry collapses. Get your orders in now....

 

[McMullan]

I love these kinds of scenarios.

 

[T Murph]

I'll have beer. I started a hop garden last year and this year I'll be planting a field of barley. Yeast is easy enough to come up with from many sources. Fortunately I have access to multiple sources of natural spring water. In the event the electrical grid gets destroyed I'll pull out the old fire heated vessels. But bet on it, I'll have beer. And shine, mead, wine and ciders. Not that I fear the apocalypse I'm retiring and simply want to live a better quality of life living off the land. Shall all hell break loose and our dysfunctional government collapse, as it is currently doing, I'll have beer.

 

[Plastic Brewkettle]

@eldernut I've had issues with Mexican street tacos, but not often enough to quit. Here's a rule of thumb: if they're giving 2 shots of tequila with the margarita along with the tacos, it's going to be a bad time. I look for the crowded booth/vendor. Can't go wrong if the locals eat there.

 

[eldernut]

@eldernut I've had issues with Mexican street tacos, but not often enough to quit. Here's a rule of thumb: if they're giving 2 shots of tequila with the margarita along with the tacos, it's going to be a bad time. I look for the crowded booth/vendor. Can't go wrong if the locals eat there.

When I do get food poisoning it's usually from commercially made food served up by corporations. Those left over sandwiches on night shift are still large in my memory. The pork sausages from the back of a bicycle in downtown Bangkok are never the issue.

 

[Plastic Brewkettle]

If I ever went to Thailand, I'd eat those sausages too.

 

[Knightshade]

Me thinks…in the event of an apocalypse, I’d be making hooch with whatever sanitary water I could find, some (and most likely) powdered drink mix that is available and hopefully has some sugar in it and whatever wild and again, hopefully not radiated wild yeast I’m lucky enough to capture.

Making beer wastes too much water, which would be a precious commodity at that point.

 

[superiorsat]

Years ago there was a video where Chip from Chop & Brew ( may have been a Northern Brewer video at that time ) and his buddies were on a frozen river and used the river water to make a batch of homebrew on the ice that day.