“Robert Baratheon took a long swallow of beer, tossed the empty horn onto his sleeping furs, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and said darkly, ‘Fat? Fat, is it? Is that how you speak to your king?’ He let go his laughter, sudden as a storm. ‘Ah, damn you, Ned, why are you always right?'” (Game of Thrones)
Martin mentions a variety of different beers throughout the series, and we wanted to find some modern beers that could be rough equivalents. The Beer in ASoIaF breaks down as follows: beer with lemon (sometimes for breakfast), pepper beer, dark beer, beer for every day, and autumn ale. To be sure we did the beers justice, we called in a friend who knows more about the juice of the barley than we ever will; Here are his terrific suggestions:
For lemon in beer
Try a traditional with a German Hefeweizen. They are customarily served with a lemon wheel in the rim, (though this is a much eschewed practice amongst beer geeks). To serve, pour out 3/4 of the beer, swirl remaining beer in the bottle to agitate the yeast, then pour the rest. Slap a lemon wheel on the rim or just squeeze a little bit in. Any German Hefe is a pretty good bet for an older style example; a more modern American style wheat beer that’s pretty tasty is Troegs Dreamweaver Wheat.
As far as pepper beer
Take a Belgian style Witbier and add some finely ground pepper. Use a touch; a little goes a long way. This style in particular is best because it will usually has some white peppery qualities. (It actually pairs very well with pepper crusted Chevre). An older style would be any Wit brewed in Belgium (Hoegaarden, St. Bernardus, Steen Brugge, Witkap, etc), and a modern example would be Allagash White Ale. We shied away from the chili-pepper varieties of beer because they can be so hit or miss, but if you’ve got a recommendation, we’d love to hear it!
For a dark strong beer
Stout is the archetypal dark beer, but it’s a fairly new invention (about 200 years old). Imperial Stout, Belgian Strong Dark, or Doppelbock are all excellent options. For a modern strong dark beer, try Stone’s Russian Imperial Stout. For something more rustic, try a Belgian strong dark . Doppelbock is a classic old world strong, dark lager that may also be most appropriate to Westeros. It’s a beer that has a long history (perhaps not as far back as we’d like, but pretty far) and is awesome to boot. Celebrator Doppelbock is another good option and is fairly widely distributed.
For everyday beer
Williams Brothers Brewing Co. has a line of beers called Historic Ales of Scotland. If they aren’t at your local good beer store they should easily be able to get them if you ask. This series includes Fraoch Heather Ale, brewed with heather, historically used before hops were widely available. The Alba Scots Pine Ale is brewed with spruce, something else that was used in lieu of hops.
We don’t know how widely available hops are in Westeros, but for something hops-based, try Belgian Saison; it’s rustic, traditional and is sometimes called “farmhouse ale.” A good old world version is Saison DuPont, an excellent modern version is Ommegang’s Hennepin, or any Saison by Stillwater Brewing.
An Autumn Ale
Is a tough one, since Autumn in relation to taste is fairly ambiguous, but interested beer aficiandos might try a Marzen, which is a German beer traditionally brewed in March for Oktoberfest (although it’s technically a lager not an ale). Anything actually from Germany will be good, especially Paulaner. Other options include English Brown Ale, or Scottish Ale. Both are Autumnal in flavor. (Belhaven makes a nice light Scottish Ale.) For an American beer, Dogfish Head’s, Post Road, or Smuttynose’s are all very good and have seasonal beers that might work well as “Autumn ale.”
And that’s what we’ve got! I’m sure this will be a popular post, so give us your ideas and suggestions too!
As a homebrewer, I greatly enjoyed this post. I’ve also paid close attention to the beers mentioned in these books. I remember a nut brown ale being mentioned as well, though I can’t quite remember the scene. Newcastle is probably the most common brown ale, but I prefer the offerings by the American craft brew scene, most notably (IMHO) Dogfish Head, Rogue, Smuttynose, and Avery.
We have a lot of breweries in Wisconsin, but the one that I think would work best is the German craft brewery, Leinenkugel’s – located in the Wisconsin Northwoods.
For something dark and strong, I would suggest their Creamy Dark and their seasonal 1888 Bock.
For everyday, I would suggest their Original.
For autumn, I would suggest their seasonal Oktoberfest and seasonal Fireside Nut Brown.
In the United Kingdom beer was the staple drink during the middle ages. A breakfast beer will be weak land light , usually about 3-4% alcohol. As the brewing process was a way of purifying water. This beer will be drunk mostly during the day. The beer drunk at mealtimes will be stronger, usually about 4-5% alcohol. For special events beer will be brewed stronger, anything up to 6.5% alcohol. The stronger beers you can get today are usually from Europe, there is no real history in Britian of very strong beers. If we were to drink beer today as a staple I would have Woodfordes Wherry, it’s not too strong at 3.8% alcohol. For a lunchtime beer I would have Timothy Taylors Landlord, this is one of the best beers ever brewed, at 4.3% alcohol a little stronger, but the flavour is exceptional. For special events I would have Batemans XXXB, at 4.8% alcohol it’s the same strength as the Landlord but the flavour is out of this world.
Luckily where I live in Norfolk, England, we have an incredible choice of beers, there is something like 50 breweries ranging from Woodfordes, which is the biggest to micro brewieries like Iceni. We also have one of the best pubs in Britian, The Fat Cat, where you can get a huge selection of very well kept beers.
Apologies if this bores you, but I’m a bit of a “real ale” fan!!
Not bored at all! I recognize that I know much more about food than beer, and welcome all suggestions. It’s great to get an overseas perspective, as well, so cheers!
As another homebrewer, I think it would be a fun exercise to brew some historically accurate beer recipes with fun ASOIAF-inspired names. However you wouldnt have the results for months most likely.
I’ve thought of that as I read thru these. . . . how could I brew a semi accurate medieval ale? Getting some good ideas here.
Great! Also be sure to check out GameofBrews.com for more actual brewing recipes!
I am also a homebrewer and a 10th level beer nerd so I have thought about this A LOT. I have always thought the beers of Westeros, like the real world, would be defined by geography.
Yeast is a living organism and, like any organism, the different varieties of yeast operate best at different fermentation tempuratures. In the days before refridgeration this was the ambient tempurature. In King’s Landing, where there is a Mediterranian climate, beers would have been brewed with a yeast profile which would work best in the temp range of 78 degrees to the low 80s. Styles like Heffs, Belgian Strong Ales, Biere de Gardes and Saisons would be prevalent. The color and body of the beers would be pretty light, they would not be hopped much because hops don’t grow great in hot climates, and the esters produced by yeast at those fermentation temps would make the beer already pretty fruity and dry. Something which would be thirst quenching on a hot day.
As one headed north into the Riverlands the climate would cool so you would run into traditional ale country. The fermentation temps would be in the mid 60s and the climate would be perfect for growing hops so you would see stuff like brown ales, ESBs or even an IPA.
Head over to the Vale and you run into a totally different beer culture. The primary water source would be mountain runoff, which is very soft water, and more suited for crisp slightly hoppy beers. Assuming the mountains have cool caves, or ice in the summer, to keep a fermentation temp in the mid to upper 50s, it is very concievable to get styles like Pilsner, Kolsh or Munich Lagers.
In Winterfell they have cool temps and, I want to believe, mineral rich water because of the geo-thermal activity. This would make Scottish Ale styles perfect for this area, with a few darker styles like Russian Imperial Stouts for the winter and slightly smaller porters and oatmeal stouts for more everyday drinking. The beers would ferment at temps in the low 60’s and they would keep well, sometimes even years.
Up on the Wall, beer would need to accomplish several tasks. It would need to be able to ferment at very low temps, 45-55 degrees or even colder, it would need to have a huge calorie load to assist men with the increased caloric need of just staying warm and provide additional nutrients. I see dopplebocks ruling but also eisbocks(a beer made from freezing the water out of a dopplebock, and even strong beers brewed with spruce tips, which is supposed to prevent scurvy.
I love this comment! Thanks for the very interesting read!
Thank you so much for this wonderful description of the regional beers of Westeros! It’s fascinating to see how many factors determine what kind of beer a particular area is suited to make, and helps give a much more well rounded appreciation for the characters and their lifestyles. Not to mention a home brewing perspective! Love it!
this was fascinating is there any chance you can work your way south from Kings Landing and describe what we’d find on a road trip to Dorne?
Also what do you think you’d get in the west lands? Casterly Rock’s province covers the same latitudes as the Riverlands to Kings Landing, but with a mountain range between them, and open seas to the other side they’d have much more wild weather and harsh terrain to deal with.
Great question! We plan to make several Dornish dishes, including spicy rattlesnake and a few others. While there are many recipes to be had from Dorne, finding a few from the Westerlands proves a little more difficult. We never actually travel to Casterly Rock, although we dance around it a fair amount, going to the Riverlands and Iron Islands. We will definitely look into what foods are specifically from there, and get back to you! :)
Here is my take on the Westerlands: They have a similar climate to the Riverlands but not as much agriculture, the main source of income is mining. This would create beers with a higher malt profile but not as much hops and by using old mines for cool storage you could brew a wide variety of beers but I am leaning towards Irish Red Ales and Irish Lagers. Red and Gold baby!
For Highgarden and the Arbor I see beers brewed at slightly higher temps but with fruits and coming from a winemaking traditions. Lambics often use fruit and can take one to three years to make in oaken casks. Of course, we know Oldtown is famous for its cider.
With the proximity to the Mistwood I see the climate of the Stormlands as being similar to that of the Washington coast or northern California. Northwest Pale Ales and West Coast Red Ales would reflect the personality of the Baratheons: big, bold and bitchen’. Like Stone’s Arrogant Bastard.
Dorne is perhaps the hardest to source beers from. Historically, anchient Egypt and Messapotamia brewed beers for thousands of years without refridgeration or any modern technology. It was such an important part of their culture that it was the priests who did the brewing because they thought it was magic but today there are no beers brewed in the old style coming from those areas. In aboriginal Africa they still brew a beer which uses malt and honey, left in an open pot until it starts to ferment and drank immediately, while still in kraisen, but there is no commercial varietys available. Dogfish Head brewery does produce some historical styles, such as Midas Touch and T’ej which could be used. The other possibility would be working under the asumption of a trade network between Dorne and the Riverlands, not unlike the trade network between England and India. The Riverlands would produce a rich, hoppy IPA for export and it would be popular in Dorne because it travels well, can take a little hot storage due to the high level of hops, and tastes excellent when paired with spicy food.
You rule.
Drinking Game of Thrones:
Sword is drawn – One hearty quaff.
Reminded winter is coming – Three hearty quaffs.
Just a quick, late addition to beer with lemon.
I’m living in southern Germany and you will not find a restaurant or bar of any kind around here that serves a true Hefeweizen with a lemon wheel.
There is a variation called Kristallweizen (literally “Crystal Wheat”) which is filtered until completely clear. This one is often served with a lemon wheel in the glass, but is generally frowned upon among real beer enthusiasts, because the filtration process removes a lot of the richness from the original, hazy brew.
Here is how those two variations look like side by side:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/04/Hefeweizen_and_kristallweizen.jpg/800px-Hefeweizen_and_kristallweizen.jpg
If you look closely there is actually a lemon wheel swimming in the left one, below the foam.
Requesting a lemon wheel for the yeasty version to the right would get you some puzzled looks around here because it is not considered to blend well with the richer taste.
Just some small detail you might find interesting.
Has any home-brewer out there thought of putting together some home-brewed Westeros styled ales? Any recipes would be appreciated.
Another homebrewer checking in. I would agree that the beer with lemon was likely something in the neighborhood of a Biere de Gardes and Saisons, or perhaps even a sour ale. Which brings up another point, any other homebrewers want to chime in on thoughts of “wild” yeast? Brewers of early days didn’t have a smack pack or vial of yeast to dump into a carboy – they set the fermentation vessels in caves, or other buildings and let mother nature do it’s work. I would suspect that at least some of these brews had twinges of wild yeast. Indeed, some of the climates would not be well suited for growing barley, so other crops would have been used – heck just about any grain is fermentable. Wheat, oats, amaranth, etc.
This is a very cool site (and interesting discussion). Would love to see some brewers create a few homebrew recipes to add to the site.
I have located a few books on the subject of beer history: namely “The Barbarian’s Beverage. A history of Beer in Ancient Europe,” by Max Nelson. Also, “Froth! The Science of Beer” has a quick opening chapter on the history of beer. Lastly, Hornsey’s “A history of beer and brewing” has about 400 pages of great in-depth pre-industrial info on the topic. I’ve got some research to do….
There is a fantastic book on historical beers and meads called “Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers” by Stephen Buhner. It’s loaded with traditional recipes with an emphasis on brewing with a variety of herbs besides hops. His claim is that hops didn’t come into predominant use in beer until around 1500. There is also a great recipe for “whole hive mead” which includes honey, propolis, royal jelly, beeswax, pollen, and bee venom.
I know it has been like over 6 years since anyone posted here but her ya go. My ex-wife and I used to have dinner parties for the season premier and final of GOT, and people had to bring a historically accurate dish, if not one of the recipes done from the book.
I’m also a home brewer and one year made two beers. One was a dark porter like ale that I did not use hops in, rather I used heather, clove, cinnamon and nutmeg. It came in around 4% ABV and was very well received. The other one, I made for one of the attendees that has celiac disease. I used Sorghum as the base and for hops, I used Sorachi Ace, that, if you are not familiar with them, are totally lemon. Along with the Hops, I added whole chamomile flowers and ginger. Our guest said it was the best gluten free beer she had ever had.
You should consider putting your Hippocras recipe in the next book, since Roose Bolton was always drinking it!