We all know the story of India Pale Ale but Bob asks in the comments whether the Dutch ever did a similar thing:
Bob Schneider [11:37 PM June 25, 2007]Good enough to be brought up to the surface for a little bit more of a think....or a thunk if I can't come up with anything. I will check through Unger's texts but if anyone else has any ideas, please share.
bob.blustar@gmail.com
http://brewersonthelake.comI realise that this is a review of a book but I was wondering if you could satisfy my curiosity. When I was brewing professionally in Holland, MI, I was trying to come up with a beer name and tagline that connected with the Dutch East India Trading Company (correct name?) similar to India Pale Ale shipped to British troops stationed in India. I did some research but ended up making an IPA with our house German ale yeast. When I put the beer on tap at the brew pub, the owners renamed it anyway. It was still one of the best IPAs I have made.
So my question is; Did the Dutch traders ship beer as a commodity in trade for Asian goods? If yes, what years, what style? Were hops used in any manner then?
Thanks
Bob
Comments
Neil D - June 26, 2007 12:06 PM
That is a good question, and if the Dutch East India company actually did make hoppy beers to ship to SE Asia, it will make my enjoyment of the hoppy beers the Belgians make today (solely for export to the US, I think) so much more historicaly significant.
Knut Albert - June 27, 2007 3:09 AM
The same goes for the Danes, with colonies both in India and in the West Indies. What beer did they ship there, and what beer did they brew there?