Brewing in Europe: Old and New

Jeff and I had hoped to have a new pod ready for public consumption by today, but circumstances beyond our control have pushed that back another week.  It is entirely my fault, not Jeff's, as I have had a ridiculously busy fall and have had a number of unforeseen bumps along the road - the latest being my son's pneumonia.

So, to keep you engaged in the beery world I bring you two interesting articles about beery things from two august institutions.

Fist, the BBC has an interesting and very well-written article on the origins of brewing in the British Isles.

One of the homes excavated at Scotland's Skara Brae, a village that dates back to 3200BC and where people may have malted grain (Credit: Alamy)

Second, the New York Times has a rather sad-yet-hopeful article on the Benedictine monks of Norcia Italy who had their monastery destroyed by an earthquake.  Beer might just be their path to salvation:

After the Oct. 30 quake, one of the few things left standing at the monastery was a small brewery, where for the past four years the monks have been making Nursia, a beer named for Norcia’s ancient Latin appellation.

 Interestingly, the monks that populate the monastery are all American.

Check out this video: