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Lars Marius Garshol

@larsga.bsky.social

1.1K followers 200 following 1.5K posts

Author, speaker, and researcher of farmhouse ale. Norwegian posts: @larsga-no.bsky.social https://www.garshol.priv.no

www.garshol.priv.no

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · Feb 11

I recently gained a lot of new followers, so I thought I'd introduce my work. I work on farmhouse ale, which farmers used to brew from their own grain, because, basically, they already had the grain, so it didn't cost them anything. As long as there was enough to eat they could brew from the rest. 🧵

Black and white photo of two older men holding brewing gear in their hands, standing in the doorway to a brewhouse. Western Norway, probably 1930s or 1940s.

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 8h

I was too rushed when I tasted his beer (too much to do), so I couldn't even remember if it had been smoky. Always wanted to try beer from sun-dried malts. Now I have, but I can't remember the taste.

Reposted by Lars Marius Garshol

patto1ro.bsky.social @patto1ro.bsky.social · 12h

Kveik gets to work very quickly. The photos show it immediately after being added to wort and 20 minutes later. The bowl was placed on the rim of the firepit, presumably to keep it nice and warm.
@kornolfest.bsky.social

A bowl of wort with kveik immediately after adding to wort. No activity, just lumps of kveik floating on the surface.

A bowl of wort with kveik 20 minutes later with a head formed from fermentation.

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 15h

Beer and death have a strong connection that runs like a red thread through all of history, right back to the beginning. I wrote this a couple of hours ago:

Screenshot of text reading: "The religious role of beer goes right back to the beginning. The very
oldest beer find of all, from present-day Israel 13,000 years ago, was
in a cave that was also used as a burial ground. It is thought that
the beer was used in funerary ceremonies for the dead. In fact, the
oldest beer in Europe, from Spain 6300 years ago, was found in a
grave. The oldest beer in Scandinavia, 4800 years ago, was also found
in a grave. As late as the early 20th century the connection between
beer and the dead was strong enough that Norwegian farmers were still
making the malt for their own funeral ales."

Reposted by Lars Marius Garshol

patto1ro.bsky.social @patto1ro.bsky.social · 1d

The @kornolfest.bsky.social at the weekend was fascinating. I learned so much. It's a whole new world. Something genuinely different to every other beer festival.
And held in amazingly beautiful place.

A like in Norway. In the foreground is a small jetty. On either side of the lake are steep slopes, mostlly covered in trees.

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 2d

The word "hrosta" also occurs in the poetry of Eigil Skallagrimson, where he insults the sea god Ægir (who is also a famous brewer) as "lord of the lauter tun". If you think of the brown, muddy mash in the lauter tun, being lord of it is a good step down from being sea god.

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 2d

He uses a different type of kiln that he's put a metal chimney into, and he uses birch wood instead of alder, and he's careful about what kind of birch wood. So the smoke character in his beer is not very pronounced. The beer is much paler, too.

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 2d

Dag: How do you feel about winning the rifle stock? (GRS produces famous riflestocks, coveted by hunters the world over.)

Gunnar: I have.

(He's saying he's already got one.)

That was it. He got the diploma and headed off. If you know him you can tell he looks pleased, but he's not exactly radiant

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 2d

Dag: Looks like the audience liked your beer?

Gunnar: Guess they did.

Dag: You live in?

Gunnar: Ørsta.

Dag: But you malt in?

Gunnar: At home.

Dag: But the malt kiln is in ... ?

Gunnar: Volda.

Dag: Is that OK? (The towns famously hate each other.)

Gunnar: Maybe not.

...

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 2d

Gunnar Skare's beer got the most votes from the audience, and thus won the competition. He's a farmer, has his own kveik, and makes his own malt. He's also a remarkably taciturn character, so the attempts by Dag (with mike) to draw him out were not hugely successful. (Next tweet.)

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 2d

It seems to actually be "surf of the lauter tun" and "swamp of the lauter tun". The word "hrosta" means lauter tun, but I guess translators despair of making people understand that.

In Western Norway they still say "rost" for lauter tun. Heard it used many times this weekend.

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 3d

Hmmm. I think the brewer's statement is being misinterpreted. What he's saying is that as long as he's alive he'll be coming to the festival -- no other event is going to stop him.

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 3d

Hmmm. I think the brewer's statement is being misinterpreted. What he's saying is that as long as he's alive he'll be coming to the festival -- no other event is going to stop him.

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 3d

Last night one of the farmhouse brewers who’s been coming to the festival every year said “if I’m not there next year, you can look for me in the grave.”

Then he repeated it this morning.

That’s the kind of thing you like to hear as festival organizer.

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 4d

We ran out of food. By the time we discover the food is out, the volunteers have discovered that there are hamburgers belonging to the local soccer team. They called the soccer team, got permission to sell the burgers, then started doing it. Zero fuss.

Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 4d

As I’m walking back from the festival the sheep are working overtime.

Yes, there’s lots to say about the festival itself, but I’m too emotional to go into it. Let me just say that we are extremely fortunate in the volunteers that help us, and the audience we have. OMG.

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 4d

The brewer himself of course wears a captain’s costume. He’s frying the local delicacy svele, which the ferries here are famous for selling. He of course uses the recipe of the old ferry company. And the name of the ship, Svelå, means “the svele”

Was so taken with his stand I forgot to try the beer

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 4d

One of the home brewers has a stand built like the bridge of a boat. When you come close you can hear the engine sound from loudspeakers

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 4d

Thank you! Made a note, will return to after the festival

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 4d

He has two beers. The first one is … strange. Not bad, but weird. The second one is a bit like St Bernardus Abt. Surprisingly very nice.

Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 4d

Here is the mastermind behind the brew, with laminated sheets he uses to explain the idea and how it all works

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 4d

Here’s @patto1ro.bsky.social looking puzzled because he’s being served beer fermented with mold from traditional cheese

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 4d

From my walk to @kornolfest.bsky.social this morning. Hornindal is not the worst place to have a beer festival

Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 5d

Managed to get a photo of the head later, as we were eating it

Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 6d

Kjetil Dale, being from Voss, arrives at @kornolfest.bsky.social with half a smoked sheep’s head.

I’m a bit stressed as organizer so photo did not turn out great

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Lars Marius Garshol @larsga.bsky.social · 7d

"Monk drinks beer/wine in cellar" seems to be almost a separate genre of painting/drawing, for some reason. Here's a medieval version. I wonder if people were nostalgically dreaming of the cellar monk as living some happy life of plenty with no worries.

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