The Legend of the Celtic Chestnut Beer
Posted by Kirill Storch on 2/21/2011
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Chestnuts
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Somewhere out there, amongst the thatched roofs of the Emerald Isle, lies an old, Celtic recipe for Chestnut Beer. It’s true. The Celts often brewed with Chestnuts as their land was too hilly to sustain the prosperous wheat fields of the low country.
Now aside from the historical joy of experiencing this traditional Faerie brew, there are some distinct health benefits for those who are gluten-intolerant, or simply wish to avoid this difficult-to-digest germ.
For real beer drinkers, it can be a terrible thing to be deprived of wheat beer, especially when they know of no alternatives. So how can you safely consume a delicious, traditional, home made brew?
The commercially available gluten free beers are basically limited to Bard’s, Red Bridge, Greene’s and Saint Peter’s. Now these are not bad, by any account, but as most “restricted diet” beers, they tend to lack balance and flavor. Also if you are an enthusiast, you have little control over the brewing process.
Now the gluten-free craze just hit this country a little over four years ago, and gluten free brewing is still struggling to catch up to a technique perfected hundreds of years ago in Ireland.
Before chestnut beer hit America, a lot of brewers experimented with Sorghum but the ctirusy quality of this beer detracts from authenticity. And doing millet or buckwheat is just out of the question as the flavor is terrible.
But chestnuts have a great starch profile, can be used in baking...and ergo, make a wonderful brew. And if you chemically compare them to malted barley, you will find surprising similarities.
Other countries that have perfected this method are France and Brazil. And luckily we have brewers right here on the West Coast who make Chestnut Beer.
The best way to brew is to use chestnut chips. And by using the ancient Irish recipe, you are guaranteed to have a better flavor than any other market gluten free beers.
You can make American cream ale, APAs, and lagers. And if you get a good deal on sustainably grown chestnuts, you can ensure your beers come out perfect.
Let us know how it goes!
