Episode 144 - Lost Beer Styles

What happened to the beers we no longer drink?

This episode, we’re heading deep into the archives to uncover lost, extinct and forgotten beer styles from Britain and around the world—and asking the all-important questions: would we actually want to drink them today, and would we want a whole keg?

From monstrous 18th-century October Beers and hot, wormwood-infused Purl, to Brett-laced Yorkshire Stingo, sweet Welsh Bragawd and long-aged Keeping Stout, we explore some seriously strange beers that disappeared as brewing, taxation, ingredients and tastes evolved.

Then we go global, digging up extinct styles including Peeterman, Breslauer Schöps, Kuyt, Broihan and Horner Bier. Expect unusual grains, wild fermentation, gruit, ancient brewing techniques and some seriously questionable flavour combinations.

And, as always, we don't just talk about them—we ask could we recreate them today? What would the ingredients, water chemistry, yeast and fermentation look like in a modern 23-litre batch?

🍻 In this episode:

• The ingredients and techniques that time forgot
• Brewing before hops took over
• 100% brown malt and inefficient historical grains
• Wild and mixed fermentation before pure yeast cultures
• The lost beers of Britain
• Extinct European styles
• Which beers we'd actually want to drink
• Whether we'd commit to a full keg
• How we'd recreate them in the modern brewhouse

Huge thanks to The Malt Miller, our sponsor and premier supplier of all things homebrew. Check out their Hop Addition recipe section for beers featured on the podcast, including our own creations and recipes from our guests.

And don't forget to check out their current offers, including up to £20 off Oxebar kegs and 10% off selected wine kits.

So grab a beer, pour yourself something suitably ancient, and join us as we ask:

Which lost beer styles deserve to stay lost—and which ones should make a comeback?

#TheHopAddition #Homebrew #Homebrewing #CraftBeer #BeerHistory #LostBeerStyles #BritishBeer #Brewing #BeerPodcast