(from the German lagern, “to store,” “to lay
down”) remained distinctly Bavarian until the
1840s, when the special yeast and techniques
were taken to Pilsen, Czechoslovakia, to
Copenhagen, and to the United States, and
became the prototype of most modern beers.
England and Belgium are the only major
producers that still brew most of their beer in
the original way, at warm temperatures and
with top-fermenting yeasts.
England: Bottles and Bubbles, Specialty
Malts The English were late to accept hops,
but pioneered in the making of bottled beer.
Ordinary ale — the original English word for
beer — was fermented in an open tank, and
like wine it lost all its carbon dioxide to the
air: the bubbles simply rose to the surface and
burst. Some residual yeast might grow while
the liquid was stored in a barrel, but it would
lose its light gassiness as soon as the barrel
was tapped. Sometime around 1600, it was