This is the introductory post to a blog documenting the experiences of a West Texas native researching the history and practice of brewing in Irish culture. I am writing this blog as a research journal component to a creative project for a graduate seminar in Irish folklore at Texas Tech University culminating in a two-week field trip to Western Ireland. The plan is to regularly update the blog with posts regarding the progress of research, notes on my findings, and plans for the final product.
First, however, a little bit about myself. My name is Jakob and I am a Master's of Music candidate in the Musicology department of the Texas Tech University School of Music. My main areas of concentration are in American vernacular music, traditional music of the British Isles, and music of the Caribbean. I graduated from Tech in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in Music specializing in traditional Irish fiddle and a minor in History.
American craft brewing has been a bit of a side-interest of mine in recent years. I have become increasingly interested in home-brewing, serving as somewhat of an apprentice to a friend of mine who has a good deal of experience with craft beer and home-brewing. This hobby is what lead me to the idea of doing a related project for this seminar.
My hope for this project is to investigate the role that brewing played in the history and culture of Ireland. Brewing and pub culture are a significant part of the popular culture of Ireland and followed the Irish ex-pat community to Britain and North America. It is my goal for this project not only to improve my own skills and knowledge of this particular craft, but also to add to my understanding of the Irish history and folk knowledge systems surrounding the craft as well.
Some of the initial questions I'm hoping to answer:
When and why did brewing become a significant factor of Irish foodways?
How did the importance of brewing in Irish culture evolve over time?
What types of beer have been and/or remain a significant part of this tradition?
What ingredients (grains, malts, yeasts, etc.) were used and why those specifically?
Who introduced the tradition?
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