Beer

Abstract From the 1870s, dark British beers lost their global market dominance to German- and Bohemian-style light beers such as lager and Pilsener. These changes in taste were accompanied by massive technology transfers. Brewhouses around the world were equipped with German machinery. Artificial cooling methods developed by Carl von Linde allowed for standardized production conditions in all climate zones. Yeast research emanating from France, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Germany allowed for production on an industrial scale. German brewmasters headed many of the operations abroad, such as Peter Griess at Alsopp’s in England. In the United States, German mass immigration made a difference, with immigrants such as John E. Siebel establishing the foundations of today’s mass production and dominance of lager beer. The chapter takes a global view to demonstrate the complex pathways of technology transfer through trade, innovation, migration, and shifts in consumption.