Today, January 28, in 1873, Louis Pasteur patented a lesser known type of pasturization (milk, being the big one). Being a chap not unaccustomed to the bottom of a pint glass, he knew the possibilities his heat-process could offer the brewing world. You see, it was still common practice back then to chill the wort (unfermented beer) in an open vessel, outdoors. This, of course, leads to the possibility of bacterial contamination. Which leads to funky beer, or thrown-away beer. This lead Louis to some thinking. And what he came up with was a closed system. The hot wort was to be chilled in the brew tun, by having cold water hosed down the outside. The yeast was then added, knowing that it was the only microorganism present. While the system has changed slightly, he laid the foundation for brewing still in use today. Of course, now macro brewers pasturize individual bottles of beer in high heat, helping to kill any flavour left by a fairly inadequate brewing method. But that’s not what Louis had in mind. He knew good quality beer could take care of itself, if it was well made in the first place.
So lift a brew to the good doctor, and thank him that not all beers taste like lambics.
Cheers, Louis!
