Beer goes way back. Further back than the summer of love. Further back than the roaring 20s. In fact, there is evidence of beer production in ancient pottery jars from Mesopotamia that date back over 7000 years.
Even in those bygone days of yore, people seemed to like waxing poetic about their booze, as evidenced by a 4000 year old poem to Ninkasi, the ancient Sumerian goddess of beer.
The so-called Hymn to Ninkasi was written around 1900 BCE, and an inscribed clay tablet bearing the poem was uncovered by archaeologists just a few short decades ago.
It took a while for the ancient Sumerian text to be translated to English, but you can imagine the surprise of the archaeologists when they discovered the poem contained a recipe for making beer!
The ancient Sumerians must have really liked their beer, because Mesopotamia (now modern-day Iraq) only receives around ten inches of rain per year, which was not enough for the thirsty barley plants to thrive.
In an effort that surely filled the pages of Homerian epics, complex irrigation systems were constructed to transport water from the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, turning the dry plains of Mesopotamia to golden fields of wheat, barley, and other grains.
Mesopotomia is considered the cradle of civilization, as it was the first place that humans stopped wandering nomadically, and settled down into large cities with things like formal governments and written language.
In other words, beer and human civilization started at the same time. In fact, barley, both in solid and beer form, was one of the first items used for trade between cities.
The Ninkasi Brewing Company from Oregon is named in honour of the ancient goddess Ninkasi, and is about to celebrate their ten-year anniversary.
The past decade has been fruitful, as the brewery has needed to expand four times just to keep up with demand. We are particularly lucky, as their beer is only distributed in the Pacific Northwest states, with BC and Alberta being the only Canadian provinces that are sufficiently blessed by the goddess to receive their beers.
Ninkasi Brewing is now the 3rd-largest craft brewer in Oregon. With Oregon and Colorado leading the charge for Pacific Northwest craft beer revolution, this is high praise indeed. Not bad for a couple of guys that got their start making beer in the back room of a restaurant!
The craft brewers of the Pacific Northwest are known for reinventing the old and tired India Pale Ale style from the UK into a brash and youthful version of its staid old self.
Unsurprisingly, the Total Domination India Pale Ale is one of the most popular beers from Ninkasi Brewing, and is made in the now-famous Pacific Northwest IPA style, with lots of pine-resin and citrus overtones in the sharp hop bitterness, which is nicely balanced by a firm and rich structure from a mélange of German malts.
So tasty is this beer, that it is prized by the hophead beer nerds, as well as the novice boozers that are but recent refugees from the barren beer wastelands of the megabrewers. The pronounced hop bitterness makes it a good pairing with spicy Thai or Mexican foods, so don’t be afraid to order one at a restaurant.
Those boozers who were raised on a steady diet of Coors Lite may prefer to dip a toe in the world of craft beer a bit more slowly, and it is for those people that the Ninkasi Lux Lager will be a godsend.
Made in the Helles Lager style from Germany, the Lux Lager is a champagne-colored crisp and refreshing beer, with just a touch of grassy hops that do not overwhelm the palate. Perfect for the timid or mainstream boozer!
Your humble narrator’s personal favourite is the Dawn of the Red, a beer that defies categorization, but is called an India Red Ale by the brewmaster. A mash-up of the IPA and Red Ale styles, there are tropical bursts of flavour from an exotic array of hops, with a solid malt backbone for balance. A unique beer for the discerning boozer!
You will find Ninkasi beers in most well-stocked booze merchants in Alberta, usually in the larger 650mL bottles. Honour the ancient goddess of beer by picking one up today!
