Barrels of beer – microbiota and microoxygenation
Entering the fantastical realm of microbes by becoming engrossed in their goings-on under the lens of a microscope can be compared to Alice stepping through the looking glass. Tumbling down the zymurgical rabbit hole into the distance past, we see amphorae become the first and most common containers for liquid foods. They were in use for centuries, and owing to their porosity, they were able to harbor microbial communities. These microbes ultimately affected the character of many of the liquids stored in them, including beer, the ambrosia of the Levant, Mesopotamia and Egypt during the Bronze Age. Barrels have since taken over the role of housing the microbes – both foul and fair – that inoculate their contents.
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