WEBVTT - Hungry for History 0:00:00.480 --> 0:00:04.120 Ola Latino USA listener, It's Maria no Josa and today 0:00:04.160 --> 0:00:06.160 we're going to share a podcast with you that we've 0:00:06.200 --> 0:00:09.920 been listening to. It's called Hungary for History. It's from 0:00:09.960 --> 0:00:14.800 our colleagues at iHeartMedia's My Gultura podcast network. You might 0:00:14.840 --> 0:00:19.239 have heard of the hosts, actress and director Eva Longoria 0:00:19.400 --> 0:00:24.120 and Mike de Gomez Rejon, who's a culinary historian. So 0:00:24.160 --> 0:00:27.320 they've joined forces to dive into the origins of their 0:00:27.360 --> 0:00:31.720 favorite Mexican foods and drinks, whether it's Tamales trocolat Caliente 0:00:32.200 --> 0:00:36.279 or delicious awkat Is. On today's episode, Eva and Mike 0:00:36.360 --> 0:00:39.760 dy are going to talk about besa beer. They're going 0:00:39.840 --> 0:00:42.320 to share their favorite Mexican beers and how the drink 0:00:42.320 --> 0:00:45.240 has evolved through the years. And guess what. It turns 0:00:45.280 --> 0:00:49.839 out women were the original beer brewers. So get your 0:00:50.040 --> 0:00:54.000 favorite drink ready, Servesa and enjoy. 0:00:54.640 --> 0:00:58.440 One of the most ancient alcoholic beverages. Beer has brought 0:00:58.520 --> 0:01:01.040 people together since the dawn of civilization. 0:01:01.320 --> 0:01:08.800 Today's episode is all about the history of beer. My 0:01:08.959 --> 0:01:12.640 name is Evel Lomboria and I am my Racon and 0:01:12.800 --> 0:01:17.640 welcome to Hungry for History, a podcast that explores are 0:01:17.680 --> 0:01:19.119 past and present through food. 0:01:19.480 --> 0:01:21.800 On every episode, we'll talk about the history of some 0:01:21.880 --> 0:01:24.679 of our favorite dishes, ingredients, and beverages. 0:01:24.959 --> 0:01:34.440 So make yourself at home. I do you have a beer. 0:01:34.200 --> 0:01:34.880 With you right now? 0:01:34.920 --> 0:01:36.399 I have like what I have in front of me. 0:01:36.640 --> 0:01:39.639 I have a little a little container cooled with ice, 0:01:39.920 --> 0:01:42.240 and I have a little coronita. 0:01:42.319 --> 0:01:46.319 I love those. I have charro beer. You have, I 0:01:46.360 --> 0:01:47.560 have had you have that. 0:01:47.640 --> 0:01:48.240 It's wonderful. 0:01:48.280 --> 0:01:50.200 It's like the opposite of this. I love that we 0:01:50.320 --> 0:01:54.480 both we both picked Mexican beers. I'm gonna open this 0:01:54.520 --> 0:01:58.480 one up. Is it two? Open it up with my tea. 0:01:59.320 --> 0:01:59.880 Don't do that. 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:07.680 Let's know. I got it. Oh that's a good sound. 0:02:08.040 --> 0:02:11.799 I was trying to get that sound. Now you are 0:02:11.800 --> 0:02:13.000 a fan of beer. I am not. 0:02:13.120 --> 0:02:14.000 You're not a fan of beer. 0:02:14.200 --> 0:02:15.880 I'm not a beer drinker. No. 0:02:16.160 --> 0:02:19.280 I feel like I drink more other things than I 0:02:19.400 --> 0:02:23.079 drink beer. But on a hot summer day, there's nothing 0:02:23.160 --> 0:02:27.000 better than a beer, or like a really good michelada 0:02:27.160 --> 0:02:28.000 or clamato. 0:02:28.639 --> 0:02:32.160 Okay, mich lada, that's my jam. Now you're now you're 0:02:32.240 --> 0:02:35.600 speaking my language. I'll drink a michalala and I'll drink. 0:02:37.520 --> 0:02:42.240 What's the other The clamato has that tomato based Yes, 0:02:42.680 --> 0:02:45.320 that's the one. I like the glamato with the with 0:02:45.360 --> 0:02:50.520 the chamois on the rim, with the uh pica fresa 0:02:50.800 --> 0:02:53.320 as a straw. I mean I like it. I like 0:02:53.360 --> 0:02:55.480 it fully prepared. 0:02:56.200 --> 0:02:58.160 That is the best. And when it has a piece 0:02:58.160 --> 0:03:00.720 of celery sticking out of it, that's even better. 0:03:00.960 --> 0:03:06.040 I did not know miche lava came from michella e lava, 0:03:06.120 --> 0:03:12.040 my beer ice cold, michella milava. 0:03:12.520 --> 0:03:15.119 I love these sort of play on words, Like when 0:03:15.120 --> 0:03:17.800 you think about where words come from. I find that 0:03:17.960 --> 0:03:23.400 so interesting. So even the word comes from the Roman 0:03:23.400 --> 0:03:28.840 goddess of agriculture, Cetus. So Cetus the strength of Cetus. 0:03:28.960 --> 0:03:34.960 So the strength of agriculture is is is the goddess? 0:03:34.960 --> 0:03:36.640 We we right, Yes, this is the goddess. 0:03:37.000 --> 0:03:40.640 Yeah, because that's where cereal comes from as well. Exactly 0:03:40.760 --> 0:03:46.560 the exactly goddess of cetis oh comes from. 0:03:47.480 --> 0:03:50.120 Very interesting, so many interesting things. 0:04:00.680 --> 0:04:03.240 Beer's older than wine. Correct, Beer is. 0:04:03.160 --> 0:04:06.960 One of the most ancient fermented beverages. Like we don't 0:04:07.040 --> 0:04:11.400 know exactly when beer was first fermented, but it was 0:04:11.480 --> 0:04:15.240 probably at least four thousand BC when we first see 0:04:15.360 --> 0:04:20.640 evidence of beer preparation in the Near East, So it 0:04:20.720 --> 0:04:24.080 goes back a very very very very very long time. 0:04:24.200 --> 0:04:26.599 I know, we don't know exactly when it started, but 0:04:26.720 --> 0:04:30.640 who did it and when did it become like popular, 0:04:30.839 --> 0:04:31.800 that's a good question. 0:04:31.880 --> 0:04:35.719 We don't know exactly who did it first, and it's 0:04:35.920 --> 0:04:40.760 probably something that was discovered, not necessarily something that was invented. 0:04:41.360 --> 0:04:45.480 So the first evidence of beer dates to you know, 0:04:45.520 --> 0:04:49.160 the Fertile Crescent, this area stretching from modern day Egypt, 0:04:49.320 --> 0:04:52.719 the Mediterranean to Turkey, Iran, Iraq, these whole areas that 0:04:52.720 --> 0:04:55.719 we started to study in fourth grade. Basically we see 0:04:55.720 --> 0:05:00.440 the evolution of beer starting when people moved from a 0:05:00.520 --> 0:05:04.760 hunting and gathering society to becoming sort of sedentary and 0:05:04.880 --> 0:05:10.080 growing wheat to bake bread. So it probably just happened 0:05:10.120 --> 0:05:13.560 and this sort of fermentation that were probably making dough 0:05:13.600 --> 0:05:16.960 for bread and it was fermented, So we start seeing 0:05:16.960 --> 0:05:20.679 beer for the first time. So that goes back even 0:05:20.800 --> 0:05:24.520 like ten thousand BC, but the first evidence is around 0:05:24.520 --> 0:05:29.400 four thousand and there's this image from ancient Mesopotamia on 0:05:29.440 --> 0:05:33.760 modern Iraq that's a little pictogram of two figures drinking 0:05:33.839 --> 0:05:38.040 beer from a straw. So it's this container and then 0:05:38.080 --> 0:05:41.120 two figures drinking beer from it. So this is the 0:05:41.160 --> 0:05:44.800 first evidence of sort of sharing a drink becoming a 0:05:44.839 --> 0:05:48.320 symbol of hospitality and a symbol of friendship. 0:05:48.440 --> 0:05:51.599 But beer was consumed by everybody, rich, poor men, women. 0:05:51.720 --> 0:05:55.000 It wasn't like the quila, which was like for the 0:05:55.040 --> 0:05:58.800 gods or the royals. Right, everybody consumed. 0:05:58.560 --> 0:06:02.880 Everybody consumed beer. It was the drink for everybody. Yes, rich, 0:06:02.960 --> 0:06:09.000 poor men, women, you know, elderly children. Everybody was drinking beer. 0:06:09.080 --> 0:06:11.640 So it's very different than a lot of other you know, 0:06:11.800 --> 0:06:15.839 ancient beverages and even you know today we have so 0:06:15.960 --> 0:06:19.280 many different varieties of beer. This is something that has 0:06:19.360 --> 0:06:22.560 always been around. I mean, the ancient Egyptians had at 0:06:22.640 --> 0:06:27.880 least seventeen different kinds of beers, and they had different names. 0:06:28.120 --> 0:06:30.760 You know, they had names ranging from the beautiful and 0:06:30.839 --> 0:06:35.520 the good, the heavenly, the joy Bringer. But you mentioned 0:06:35.560 --> 0:06:39.000 like the Geyland, you know, or Bulkeh and Maya Weel 0:06:39.200 --> 0:06:42.080 and all of these ideas of We talked about this 0:06:42.120 --> 0:06:44.120 a little bit with when we did our tequila episode 0:06:44.160 --> 0:06:47.200 and also with the wine episode that drinking and getting 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:50.400 a little bit buzzed connecting us to the gods. So 0:06:50.480 --> 0:06:52.840 this is the same with with beer. Right, This whole 0:06:53.240 --> 0:06:58.440 idea of beer's ability to intoxicate and inducing a state 0:06:58.480 --> 0:07:02.640 of you know, alter consciousness was something that was magical. 0:07:02.920 --> 0:07:04.960 It was like it was a gift from the gods. 0:07:05.200 --> 0:07:07.320 I think I stole that from you that every time 0:07:07.320 --> 0:07:09.600 I drink wine, I go, I'm just connecting to the gods. 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:13.040 Don't mind me, don't mind me. But yeah, it was 0:07:13.080 --> 0:07:15.920 like it seemed magical. It was like a magical experience. 0:07:15.960 --> 0:07:18.680 And you know, talking about our wine episode, you know, 0:07:19.000 --> 0:07:21.640 I had read that beer was easier to make because 0:07:21.680 --> 0:07:25.320 grapes were seasonal. Wine couldn't be stored without pottery, and 0:07:25.400 --> 0:07:29.360 pottery really didn't emerge until six thousand BCS. So beer 0:07:29.400 --> 0:07:32.440 could be stored like in leather bags or animal stomachs 0:07:32.560 --> 0:07:35.559 or I mean, like really stone vessels. Like it wasn't 0:07:35.600 --> 0:07:37.320 It was a very low maintenance alcoholic. 0:07:37.560 --> 0:07:41.320 Absolutely, it was very low maintenance. And because of this, 0:07:41.560 --> 0:07:46.680 eventually it becomes a drink of the lower classes because 0:07:46.720 --> 0:07:52.320 it wasn't wine, and we start seeing this shift, whereas 0:07:52.360 --> 0:07:56.720 for millennia, it was the drink for everybody, especially you know, 0:07:57.000 --> 0:08:01.360 the ancient Greeks and the Romans, they started creating this 0:08:01.560 --> 0:08:04.160 division even though everybody was still drinking beer because it 0:08:04.200 --> 0:08:07.760 was accessible, it was easy, it was enjoyable. 0:08:08.880 --> 0:08:13.440 So yeah, but yes, I love that beer. Like in 0:08:13.440 --> 0:08:18.080 in original writings, like the earliest collections of written language, 0:08:18.360 --> 0:08:20.480 beer is one of the most familiar words that was 0:08:20.520 --> 0:08:23.640 written down because of tax purposes, and so they were 0:08:23.640 --> 0:08:26.600 obviously taxing it, but it was like one of the 0:08:26.600 --> 0:08:30.120 most common words, one of the earliest and most common 0:08:30.120 --> 0:08:31.600 words that was like recording. 0:08:31.720 --> 0:08:34.360 Yeah, I find that so interesting, especially like writing was 0:08:34.400 --> 0:08:40.280 originally invented to record the collection and distribution of grain, beer, 0:08:40.280 --> 0:08:44.000 and bread, these three things. That's why writing. The earliest 0:08:44.520 --> 0:08:50.080 you know, documents in cuoning form basically were about bread, beer, 0:08:50.360 --> 0:08:53.199 and gray, which is so interesting to me. 0:08:53.480 --> 0:08:56.800 But they would use it like medicinally too. Sometimes sometimes 0:08:56.840 --> 0:09:00.800 saffron and beer massaged into a woman's abdomen and was 0:09:00.960 --> 0:09:02.680 prescribed for labor pains. 0:09:02.920 --> 0:09:06.400 I was like, okay, yeah, it's like okay, that's interesting. Yeah, 0:09:06.440 --> 0:09:09.320 And this comes from a document where it's called the 0:09:09.320 --> 0:09:13.400 ebers Papyrus, an Egyptian medical text from around fifteen fifty 0:09:13.520 --> 0:09:18.120 BC with hundreds of different examples of beer. Another one 0:09:18.200 --> 0:09:20.880 is half an onion mixed with beer is set to 0:09:21.000 --> 0:09:22.200 cure constipation. 0:09:22.480 --> 0:09:28.680 Oh, I gotta try that. That does not sound appetizing 0:09:29.200 --> 0:09:30.079 to me, not. 0:09:30.200 --> 0:09:33.079 At all, not even a little bit. It's so funny though. 0:09:33.160 --> 0:09:35.800 Yeah, but the olive, the olives, the olives with beer 0:09:35.960 --> 0:09:41.320 cured indigestion. So I just think people were very, very innovative, 0:09:41.400 --> 0:09:43.920 and the specifically the Egyptians. They also thought in the 0:09:43.960 --> 0:09:47.719 afterlife that a good after life depended on having an 0:09:47.800 --> 0:09:48.960 adequate supply of bread. 0:09:48.960 --> 0:09:51.920 And I wonder what that means, Like, what is adequate? 0:09:52.040 --> 0:09:54.000 What would be adequate to you if it were wine? 0:09:54.160 --> 0:09:54.560 Or it would be. 0:09:54.600 --> 0:09:58.520 Adequate to you, Oh, it would be bottomless, like bottomless mimosas, 0:09:58.559 --> 0:10:01.520 but bottomless bottomles. Thats of why. 0:10:01.440 --> 0:10:01.959 I love it. 0:10:05.480 --> 0:10:08.200 Don't go anywhere. We've got more on the history of 0:10:08.240 --> 0:10:09.360 beer when we come back. 0:10:21.920 --> 0:10:26.199 I think what I find the most interesting about beer 0:10:26.440 --> 0:10:32.400 in general is that traditionally brewers were women. What for 0:10:32.480 --> 0:10:36.760 many women sort of fermenting beer was a household you know, task, 0:10:36.800 --> 0:10:40.280 It was an important thing. And ancient Sumerian women double 0:10:40.400 --> 0:10:44.840 just priestesses. They fermented beer for religious purposes, to honor 0:10:44.880 --> 0:10:49.040 their goddess Nicassi, who they believed gave beer to humans 0:10:49.080 --> 0:10:53.440 and brought peace and well being to society. So for 0:10:53.720 --> 0:10:57.959 thousands of years, women had extensive knowledge of plants associated 0:10:58.000 --> 0:11:02.960 with curing ailments, cooking, brewing, and also witchcraft. 0:11:03.760 --> 0:11:07.280 I love this story. This is my favorite story. I'm 0:11:07.320 --> 0:11:12.480 obsessed with the Middle Ages and all of that Renaissance England, 0:11:12.640 --> 0:11:15.719 and during the Middle Ages, in Renaissance England, women transported 0:11:15.800 --> 0:11:21.240 their beer brews in cauldrons so that they would make 0:11:21.600 --> 0:11:24.600 it in their house in these big cauldrons, and then 0:11:24.840 --> 0:11:27.600 they would go to market. But when they went to market, 0:11:27.760 --> 0:11:30.280 the markets were so crowded they had to wear pointy 0:11:30.440 --> 0:11:33.360 hats so people could spot them and know where to 0:11:33.400 --> 0:11:36.520 find the beer. So this is where the term which 0:11:36.600 --> 0:11:41.640 is brew comes from, or the word brewery, which I 0:11:41.760 --> 0:11:45.920 found so funny. But also the fact that this led 0:11:45.960 --> 0:11:50.920 to some religious movement that, you know, just as women 0:11:50.920 --> 0:11:53.880 were like establishing their mark not only in beer, but 0:11:53.960 --> 0:11:57.960 like in the economy. I don't find it ironic that 0:11:58.480 --> 0:12:01.400 religion was like, oh, hang on, hold on a minute, 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:06.360 women are getting too far ahead of themselves. The religious 0:12:06.360 --> 0:12:11.960 movement made it more strict for women to make beer 0:12:12.120 --> 0:12:16.720 and condemned witchcraft which was like associated with brewery, and 0:12:16.760 --> 0:12:22.960 then the male brewers saw the opportunity and to reduce competition, 0:12:23.480 --> 0:12:27.040 and so some of those male brewers would accuse female 0:12:27.040 --> 0:12:30.120 brewers of witchcraft and being witches and they were brewing 0:12:30.160 --> 0:12:33.280 up spells and potions instead of the beer. And that 0:12:33.440 --> 0:12:36.200 was it, like the rumors took over, and then over 0:12:36.240 --> 0:12:40.040 time it just became dangerous for women to practice brewing 0:12:40.240 --> 0:12:43.520 beer for the fear of being misidentified as a witch. 0:12:43.840 --> 0:12:45.480 Like what it's insane. 0:12:45.800 --> 0:12:49.280 Yes, because of the whole Reformation movement that was okay, no, no, no, 0:12:49.440 --> 0:12:51.400 we can't have women in the economy, we can't have 0:12:51.440 --> 0:12:52.200 powerful women. 0:12:52.559 --> 0:12:56.560 The fact that to date, to date, men dominate the 0:12:56.559 --> 0:13:00.160 beer industry and all these beer companies you know, really 0:13:00.679 --> 0:13:05.560 positioned beer as a male drink. And it's really you see, 0:13:05.800 --> 0:13:07.719 you can connect the dots of history and go, oh, 0:13:07.840 --> 0:13:09.160 that's words saying no, it's. 0:13:09.000 --> 0:13:13.480 So it's so fascinating. It's that blows my mind. This 0:13:13.559 --> 0:13:17.600 whole which is with the pointy hats making beer. They 0:13:17.640 --> 0:13:20.040 were just you know, they were just trying to make 0:13:20.080 --> 0:13:23.160 a living. And another part of that story, some of 0:13:23.160 --> 0:13:26.360 the women had their shops, but maybe they worked with 0:13:26.400 --> 0:13:28.960 their husbands and had their shops. So they used to 0:13:29.040 --> 0:13:33.160 have cats to keep mice away from their grains that 0:13:33.240 --> 0:13:36.400 they were using to make beer. So that's a whole 0:13:36.440 --> 0:13:38.600 other thing that Pointy had, and that's. 0:13:38.480 --> 0:13:51.600 A whole added, a whole added story. Let's talk about 0:13:51.640 --> 0:13:54.640 the history of beer in Mexico because you know, I 0:13:54.679 --> 0:13:56.680 covered this and searching for Mexico when I was in 0:13:56.960 --> 0:14:01.400 No Boleon and there's a huge beer movement in Leon. 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:02.200 Uh. 0:14:02.360 --> 0:14:04.599 And I got to go to a couple of beer factories, 0:14:04.840 --> 0:14:09.400 breweries and solve the whole process and how they make it. 0:14:09.480 --> 0:14:12.280 And there's like this huge artisanal movement. 0:14:12.760 --> 0:14:15.319 So is the artisanal beer Is it the same as 0:14:15.360 --> 0:14:18.839 a craft beer movement? That's different from like say that 0:14:18.880 --> 0:14:21.880 but that I'm drinking. But it's the chartro that You're right, 0:14:21.920 --> 0:14:23.040 that's this is like this. 0:14:22.960 --> 0:14:26.040 Yeah, Chad beer. Yeah, chard is a craft beer. Yeah, 0:14:26.040 --> 0:14:28.200 it's a it's a premium Mexican pilsner. 0:14:28.840 --> 0:14:28.960 Uh. 0:14:29.360 --> 0:14:30.880 And it's definitely made differently. 0:14:31.000 --> 0:14:34.320 And these are also these artisanal you know, craft beers 0:14:34.400 --> 0:14:39.120 are much smaller batch beers, like much much smaller production. 0:14:39.640 --> 0:14:42.600 It's not the millions and millions and millions of gallons 0:14:42.600 --> 0:14:45.800 that are produced. They're much more thoughtful. 0:14:46.200 --> 0:14:48.480 Yeah, you don't even want to know how much water 0:14:49.200 --> 0:14:52.640 goes into making one bottle. Really, it's a little wow. 0:14:52.680 --> 0:14:55.320 It's a lot of water. I mean from from beginning 0:14:55.360 --> 0:14:57.280 to end. I mean from how much you have to 0:14:57.320 --> 0:15:00.840 water wheat and barley and the crops to fermenting it, 0:15:00.960 --> 0:15:03.800 dumping that out, for mending it, dumping that out, boiling it, 0:15:03.880 --> 0:15:07.040 dumping that out like, it's a lot of a lot 0:15:07.080 --> 0:15:11.520 of gallons per bottle. So beer is beer the most 0:15:11.640 --> 0:15:15.240 consumed alcoholic beverage. It is or one of it is right, 0:15:15.480 --> 0:15:16.280 it is the most. 0:15:16.320 --> 0:15:19.000 It is the most. So barley and wheat were brought 0:15:19.200 --> 0:15:23.160 to Mexico, New Spain early on between fifteen twenty one 0:15:23.200 --> 0:15:26.960 and fifteen twenty three, and beer was first May the 0:15:26.960 --> 0:15:30.920 summer of fifteen forty two, so really early on by 0:15:31.000 --> 0:15:35.760 a man named Alfonsorera. He was a member of Ernancortes's expedition, 0:15:36.240 --> 0:15:41.200 and he established a European style brewery near Mexico City, 0:15:41.200 --> 0:15:43.600 on the foot of the volcanoes around Mexico City. And 0:15:43.600 --> 0:15:45.120 this is an area known for its water. You just 0:15:45.200 --> 0:15:47.440 mentioned how much water is needed, so there was a 0:15:47.480 --> 0:15:50.720 lot of water there and he was making amazing beers, 0:15:51.160 --> 0:15:53.800 but three fourths of the profits had to be sent 0:15:54.280 --> 0:15:57.560 to Spain, so and then Spain didn't like that local 0:15:57.600 --> 0:16:01.880 beer was competing with the sale of imported wines, so 0:16:02.160 --> 0:16:05.960 the brewery closed after a couple of years. And for centuries, 0:16:06.000 --> 0:16:10.880 beers were imported from Europe, you know, primarily from Germany 0:16:10.960 --> 0:16:15.360 and Belgium, alongside beer and other liquors. But because of this, 0:16:15.880 --> 0:16:20.640 beer was super expensive, so the locals, you know, population, 0:16:22.160 --> 0:16:24.880 they couldn't afford it, or much of the population couldn't 0:16:24.880 --> 0:16:28.240 afford it, and they preferred the native bulke, which is 0:16:28.960 --> 0:16:32.560 another fermented you know drink. And then after the before 0:16:32.600 --> 0:16:36.480 the revolution with when Portfitio thes President Porfidia Diaz was 0:16:36.520 --> 0:16:39.720 in power in the late eighteen hundreds, he started cracking 0:16:39.760 --> 0:16:43.560 down on drinking. He started imposing regulations on on buque, 0:16:44.120 --> 0:16:48.520 which was very popular among the indigenous population, because he 0:16:48.560 --> 0:16:52.640 wanted Mexico to be seen as more modern and European. 0:16:53.200 --> 0:16:57.320 So these European brewers that it started opening up breweries 0:16:57.400 --> 0:17:01.680 around Mexico, started spreading rumors that pukea was dirty, that 0:17:01.720 --> 0:17:07.520 pulke was written with feces, stigmatizing Pulque and its producers, 0:17:08.240 --> 0:17:12.679 and by the nineteen fifties, beer had overtaken Pulque and 0:17:12.760 --> 0:17:15.440 many of Mexico City's bulgarias closed. 0:17:25.359 --> 0:17:29.879 Just like the railroad network built in Mexico allowing the 0:17:29.920 --> 0:17:34.320 importing of that of all this machinery forced Mexican brewers 0:17:34.320 --> 0:17:39.760 to compete against North American beers, and that's how we 0:17:40.200 --> 0:17:43.760 started this mass distribution throughout Mexico. And I thought that 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:48.520 was interesting, like the railroad brought the access to the machinery, 0:17:49.600 --> 0:17:52.080 because you know, I've been through that with in Central America. 0:17:52.119 --> 0:17:56.600 I visited so many farms in Central America on Luras, Nicaragua, 0:17:56.680 --> 0:17:59.480 El Salvador, and the thing that holds them back is 0:17:59.560 --> 0:18:04.439 lack of tractors. They don't have the technology to be 0:18:04.560 --> 0:18:07.040 a force, but yet they have the soil and the climate. 0:18:07.680 --> 0:18:10.280 And so you're like, wait, you know, this is crazy. 0:18:10.320 --> 0:18:12.080 This is something as small as a tractor, but it's 0:18:12.119 --> 0:18:15.160 not that small. It's like it's a big deal, and 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:17.439 we uh, the charity I was with took down some 0:18:17.600 --> 0:18:20.679 tractors that were going to change the lives of some 0:18:20.720 --> 0:18:23.879 of these families. So it's interesting when I saw that, 0:18:24.000 --> 0:18:27.840 I was like the importing of machinery from the US 0:18:28.480 --> 0:18:30.400 allowed Mexican brews to compete. 0:18:30.160 --> 0:18:33.719 Yeah, to grow otherwise, Yeah, it makes it makes perfect sense. Otherwise, 0:18:33.720 --> 0:18:35.640 how are they gonna how are you going to get 0:18:35.680 --> 0:18:39.080 it from one place to the other. So then we 0:18:39.119 --> 0:18:41.359 start seeing by the end of the nineteenth century, we 0:18:41.480 --> 0:18:44.119 start seeing brewery on a large scale. 0:18:44.280 --> 0:18:48.879 And then how did prohibition affect beer? 0:18:48.960 --> 0:18:53.760 Prohibition? US prohibition in the nineteen twenties, Americans couldn't drink. 0:18:53.760 --> 0:18:57.600 Americans cross the border to drink. And this was in 0:18:57.640 --> 0:19:00.439 the nineteen twenties. They already had the machinery in the 0:19:00.520 --> 0:19:06.760 railroads and this really helped propel the brewing industry, Mexico's 0:19:06.800 --> 0:19:11.280 brewing industry. And by nineteen twenty five, the beer industry 0:19:11.680 --> 0:19:15.960 was thriving. And we started seeing you know, glass industry, 0:19:16.160 --> 0:19:22.840 the bottle cap industry, advertising industry, so ice, ice, ice, 0:19:23.080 --> 0:19:29.320 everything just really started to grow around that time in 0:19:29.320 --> 0:19:30.400 the nineteen twenties. 0:19:30.600 --> 0:19:33.160 Wow. And then this, I mean it's a pro US 0:19:33.200 --> 0:19:37.480 provision really forced Americans to travel south to drink. I 0:19:37.560 --> 0:19:40.119 mean that helped tequila, that helped spirits, that helped rum, 0:19:40.200 --> 0:19:41.600 that helped everything. 0:19:45.320 --> 0:19:49.120 When we come back carmin Belasco Favela of Mochere's brew 0:19:49.200 --> 0:19:51.800 House sends us a message stay with. 0:19:51.760 --> 0:20:05.199 Us, Welcome back to the show. Muheta's brew House is 0:20:05.200 --> 0:20:09.679 a southern California brewery that is redefining gender and race 0:20:09.880 --> 0:20:13.440 in the craft beer industry. Plus it's an all female 0:20:13.560 --> 0:20:20.480 run Latina owned brew house. Amen here's Carmen Velasco Favela, 0:20:20.640 --> 0:20:22.639 one of the founders to tell us more about this 0:20:22.720 --> 0:20:25.800 incredible business. 0:20:26.080 --> 0:20:29.240 My name is Carmen Velasco and I was born in 0:20:29.280 --> 0:20:32.840 San Diego. I'm the first generation of parents from Sinaloa 0:20:32.880 --> 0:20:36.119 and Sonora, and I am the founder and owner of 0:20:36.240 --> 0:20:43.840 Muhetta's Blue House. Some Muhitdah's brew House actually started as 0:20:43.840 --> 0:20:47.359 a beer club back in twenty nineteen. It was a 0:20:47.400 --> 0:20:51.919 six month series to basically educate and empower Latinas in 0:20:51.960 --> 0:20:54.679 the craft beer industry. So we started with the history 0:20:54.720 --> 0:20:56.800 of craft beer all the way to making a beer 0:20:56.840 --> 0:20:59.640 together with the girls and from an idea. It turned 0:20:59.640 --> 0:21:01.680 out that we had over fifty women show up on 0:21:01.720 --> 0:21:05.520 our first class and that was really the beginning of 0:21:05.800 --> 0:21:10.920 this project which has now become its own brewery which 0:21:10.960 --> 0:21:14.520 is now Mooheads brew House that opened up during the pandemic. 0:21:15.080 --> 0:21:17.239 We had built so much momentum with the girls that 0:21:17.480 --> 0:21:20.359 doing zoom and other things was just not an option. 0:21:20.920 --> 0:21:23.440 So there had been a vacant brewery in the community, 0:21:23.720 --> 0:21:26.320 and so we reached out to them. We said, hey, 0:21:26.720 --> 0:21:28.919 we've got all these women. We would love to use 0:21:28.960 --> 0:21:33.399 your space to continue our education further. And one thing 0:21:33.480 --> 0:21:35.800 led to another. Here we are two years later, and 0:21:35.920 --> 0:21:39.160 we have Muheada's brew House that is all operated by 0:21:39.160 --> 0:21:47.119 women and basically dedicated to women. A lot of the 0:21:47.160 --> 0:21:50.119 recipes we come up with, they, you know, some of 0:21:50.160 --> 0:21:52.520 them are true to style. So we have a straight 0:21:52.560 --> 0:21:55.240 West Coast ipa. And then we have beers that are 0:21:55.280 --> 0:21:58.280 like Lahfa it's a ta Marino Belgian with and we 0:21:58.359 --> 0:22:01.520 incorporate some of the flavors that I grew up with 0:22:01.720 --> 0:22:05.600 as far as being Latina Mexican into our beer, and 0:22:05.920 --> 0:22:08.199 people really love to see that. 0:22:08.359 --> 0:22:09.119 They enjoy that. 0:22:09.520 --> 0:22:11.480 Not only do we make beers with some of the 0:22:11.600 --> 0:22:13.920 ingredients we grew up with, but also we make micha 0:22:13.960 --> 0:22:17.400 lavas that I'm from Sinaloa, so I'm a Marisco girl 0:22:18.000 --> 0:22:20.800 and I love my Micha lava. And so those are 0:22:20.840 --> 0:22:24.480 things that we've incorporated in our brewery that celebrate what 0:22:24.520 --> 0:22:32.000 we grew up with as latinx or as Mexican. I'm 0:22:32.000 --> 0:22:34.280 just so proud of my team, all the girls that 0:22:34.440 --> 0:22:37.600 have come this far to be part of this project 0:22:37.640 --> 0:22:40.679 and to represent because it's not easy. Anytime you go 0:22:40.760 --> 0:22:45.560 into an area that's now male dominated, it's intimidating. But 0:22:45.680 --> 0:22:48.720 you know what, at the end of the day, if 0:22:48.800 --> 0:22:51.159 your heart, if it's speaking to you and that you 0:22:51.200 --> 0:22:53.919 need to do something, you can do it. And so 0:22:54.240 --> 0:22:56.840 I just recommend that for any woman in the craft 0:22:56.880 --> 0:22:59.919 beer industry or in any other business it's male dominated, 0:23:00.080 --> 0:23:01.520 to move forward. 0:23:10.720 --> 0:23:13.080 Why the craft beer is the original beer. 0:23:13.160 --> 0:23:15.880 The craft beer is the original beer. Absolutely, it is 0:23:15.920 --> 0:23:19.080 the original beer. And there is a company in Mexico 0:23:19.240 --> 0:23:24.119 craft beer movement in Mexico called imp Do you know 0:23:24.160 --> 0:23:27.640 about this. It's a group of women, it's a it's 0:23:27.680 --> 0:23:32.040 an it's a Mexican craft beer movement, you know, by women, 0:23:32.680 --> 0:23:35.120 and it's all of these women that are getting together 0:23:35.320 --> 0:23:40.960 and making craft beer and their proceeds go to women organizations. 0:23:41.640 --> 0:23:44.919 So that is very very cool. I haven't had that 0:23:45.040 --> 0:23:47.760 many Mexican craft beers other than Chadro. Really, I don't 0:23:47.800 --> 0:23:49.960 think I've had that many Mexican craft beers. 0:23:50.280 --> 0:23:52.640 I love Chad. I'm not a beer drinker, but Chardo's 0:23:52.680 --> 0:23:56.919 my my jam I really it's just smooth. And then 0:23:56.960 --> 0:23:59.399 I was like, oh, maybe I'm a pilsner girl like I. 0:24:00.800 --> 0:24:03.840 Chato brought me into beer, like to really experience it. 0:24:04.040 --> 0:24:07.199 And like other things like wine and tequila, you have 0:24:07.320 --> 0:24:10.240 notes and you have like finishes, and you have oh yeah, 0:24:10.520 --> 0:24:13.240 you can smell the barley, you can taste the honey, 0:24:13.280 --> 0:24:17.359 and I'm like, I taste beer, but Chatro really, like 0:24:17.680 --> 0:24:22.480 a lot of the craft beers, really you have a 0:24:22.520 --> 0:24:25.080 better experience than the mass produced ones because you can 0:24:25.160 --> 0:24:29.480 really feel those those notes and the care and concern 0:24:29.600 --> 0:24:32.320 that is brewed in every bottle. You go, Okay, this 0:24:32.400 --> 0:24:34.560 is like. I went to a bar in Monterrey that 0:24:34.600 --> 0:24:38.440 had ninety nine beers, which is funny play on ninety 0:24:38.520 --> 0:24:40.720 nine bottles of beer on the wall, but ninety nine 0:24:41.480 --> 0:24:48.200 draft beer, and one tasted like mango, one tasted like chocolate, 0:24:48.480 --> 0:24:52.320 one tasted like They had a really fun menu and 0:24:53.080 --> 0:24:55.240 it was really a really fun place. It's in the 0:24:55.280 --> 0:24:57.639 show Searching for Mexico, so you guys will have to 0:24:57.680 --> 0:24:58.040