The Natural and Cultural History of Beer Brewing

A Natural and Cultural History of Beer Brewing

For anyone interested in how a mixture of water, grain and herbs, inoculated with microbes can become a delicious, refreshing beverage, which has beguiled humans for thousands of years, Christopher McGreger will be offering a unique course on brewing history in Chicago on June 9–13, 2025, within the friendly confines of the Siebel Institute of Technology.

The five days of instruction include a museum excursion, hands-on exploration, a hop sensory evaluation, and, of course, beer tastings that, along with the engaging daily sessions, provide a fascinating exploration into the origins and evolution of beer brewing over hundreds of centuries.

• Discover the deep historical roots of this ancient beverage and how it has helped shape cultures around the world.
• Uncover the art and science behind the development of traditional beers with practical knowledge on how to brew them, from Bronze and Iron Age Near Eastern and European beers brewed with a mix of grains and microbes to Old World and modern American lagers.
• Theory and practice are presented by course creator and primary lecturer, Christopher McGreger, a Diplom Braumeister and Brewing Engineer educated at the prestigious Technical University of Munch-Weihenstephan and site of the oldest brewery in the world still in operation.
• Seasoned brewers from Live Oak Brewing Co. of Austin, Texas, who have been at the forefront of US craft lager brewing for decades, will explain practical aspects of producing distinctive Central European beer styles, some forgotten and resurrected like Grodziskie, as well as decoction lager processes, followed by a tasting.
• Polish hop growers will present rare, landrace and hybrid varieties of hops nearly lost to history, both for hands-on sensory evaluation and in a tasting in order to discover the flavors and aromas they impart to beer.

This course will appeal to brewers, beer connoisseurs, enthusiasts or anyone who is simply curious to learn more about the evolution of beer over the last 12 to 13 millennia. It will surely quench any beer drinker’s thirst for knowledge!

Host or Publisher Christopher McGreger