Subscriber Exclusive
Mashing with hot rocks isn’t just an antiquated quirk of a few farmhouse brewers. In fact, we may be able to blame the technique for the founding of human civilization.
Stones used for a mash by a brewer in Latvia. Photo: Lars Marius Garshol
For some reason, whenever I imagine ancient peoples anywhere making the earliest beers, I always imagine them huddled around a big cast-iron cauldron over a blazing fire.
That image is wrong, though. There were no metal kettles for direct-fire cooking until the Bronze Age, perhaps 2000 BCE. Then, for long after—at least until the 16th century—kettles remained expensive and rare for common people.
Yet, they brewed.
Make & Drink Better Beer
Subscribe today to access all of the premium brewing content available (including this article). With thousands of reviews, our subscribers call it "the perfect beer magazine" and "worth every penny." Your subscription is protected by a 100% money back guarantee.