Members of the Bridger Brew Crew used hot stones to brew a “steingruit.” (Photo by Jesse Bussard).
If you read about the Medieval Brewing Stones, and you’d like a fun and tasty project for your brewing club, you can find all the info you need, including the recipe for a steingruit, here. Looks like a blast!
Looks like a blast!
I wonder if the story of “stone soup” is a mis-reference to that practice?
Seems like a great way to make mud-flavored beer. It explains Guiness’…
Oh, stone brewed beer doesn’t taste awful at all. It is weighted towards a caramelized taste, though. This was a common method of cooking prior to wide availability of iron pots. I’ve done this with stew before, a project in high school, it was all kinds of fun, and the stew was great.
It’s also good for purifying water when primitive camping. I’ve done it many times but had no idea it had been used to brew beer. Makes sense though.
Makes me wonder if it’s got anything to do with how beer was invented. Maybe someone was using rocks to heat up some barley soup… And the rest, they say, is hiccups.
The ancient Egyptians were brewing beer over 3,000 years ago. It was probably closer to liquid bread, but hey, whatever works.