Fray Jodoco Ricke and the first beer of South America

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Before you commence reading, I would like to convey something of utmost importance; this article has not been easy to write, we wanted to be as faithful as possible with the truth, with the story of Fray Jodoco Ricke, with the history of the first beer in South America, and with common sense. Do you have an acquaintance or friend who claims to be the first brewer in your country? Embrace him, he will need it.

Artículo en español: Fray Jodoco Ricke y la primera cerveza de Sudamérica

Until a few years ago the name of Fray Jodoco Ricke meant nothing. Today, for Ecuadorian brewers, it is a source of pride. In homage to his work we wanted to write this article with all the rigor that is within our reach. Priest, artist, mathematician and scholar, it was from his hands where the first beer of the new continent came from. And here the first item in our agenda.

In Ecuador we have repeated on numerous occasions that Fray Jodoco Ricke’s beer was the first in America (1566), which is not very accurate because apparently the historical records tell us that in December 1543, Viceroy Antonio de Mendoza granted an operation permit to a brewery by Alonso de Herrera in Nueva España (today, México). In any case, it is sure that ours is the first in South America.

Due to these facts, many have ventured to perform interpretations of how their beer could have been, what they used, how, when, and in what quantities. Anyway, we want to tell you who Fray Jodoco Ricke was, in addition to our interpretation of his beer made in 1566.

Fray Jodoco Ricke: The Man

The context

A man cannot be understood outside the context in which he is born, grows, lives and dies.

The first thing to clarify is that Joos von Rijcke Marselaer (name in his native language) was a native of Mechelen, in Flanders, a historical region that at that time was going through a series of political changes that would modify the borders of the kingdoms, ducats and provinces that made it up.

Joos was born in 1498 in the Duchy of Burgundy, which belonged to Felipe I, the Beautiful, of the Holy Roman Empire, and that by marrying Juana I of Castile (Juana, the Crazy), he would end up joining the Burgundian territories to what years later would be known as Spanish Empire.

After traveling to Tolouse and then to Nueva España, it is in the Pedro de Alvarado expedition that he would arrive at the Tenencia de Quito (Tenure of Quito) in December 1535. Just 1 year after the Castilian city was founded.

Our history unfolds within this city, which belongs to the Gobernación de Nueva Castilla (Government of Nueva Castilla).. Although by the time he made the first beer, there already was the Real Audiencia de Quito (Royal Audience of Quito), belonging to the Virreinato del Perú (Viceroyalty of Peru).

Quito between 1535 – 1566

Far from the city with more than two million inhabitants that we know today, Quito had just 200 inhabitants. Indeed, during that period, the indigenous population was not accounted for, leading us to presume that this figure was significantly higher.

The city was established with defined boundaries, encompassing several blocks surrounding the Plaza de Belalcázar, the town hall, and the local authorities. Additionally, the distribution of lots commenced. Among the recipients were the Franciscans, including Fray Jodoco as a notable member.

In 1536 the construction of the aqueduct that would bring water from the Pichincha to the city begins, in addition to the Conversion Chapel of Pablo, the beginning of the Church and Convent of San Francisco, and no, not by far what we see today, that monumental complex known as “El Escorial del Nuevo Mundo”, but rather a small chapel of straw which would have had little to highlight. In 1551 the construction of the Church of San Francisco begins, so we can presume that for the first year of elaboration, Fray Jodoco had an adequate space.

In 1566 there was a fall of ash by an eruption of the Guagua Pichincha, in which crops were lost and cattle died. Maybe it’s just my imagination, but if there was an open fermentation, don’t you think some ash could fall in the vats? I would like to think so.

Fray Jodoco and the Indigenous

The fray had many jobs, but the relationship he had with the original inhabitants of Quito will be decisive for our study. Although he really met the first Indigenous while still in the city of Madrid, and then those of New Spain, it would be in Quito where his work would transcend.

Fray Jodoco taught them to grow vegetables, as well as grains such as wheat, barley, and vines, which did not exist in America. He also taught how to plow with oxen.

He learned Quichua around 1547 to preach and teach catechism in their native language.

He founded the School of Arts and Crafts of San Andrés for mestizos and Indians in 1549.

This, which seems insignificant, I think, will be decisive in brewed beer.

Several years ago, since I moved my residence to the city of Madrid, and every time I need to cook Ecuadorian food, I am forced to adjust the recipe to local ingredients. Achiote for paprika is the most classic example. Or the obligatory modification in the way of cooking potatoes when I want to cook a Locro de Papas (an Ecuadorian potato soup), since those found in Spain are of different characteristics and do not serve this purpose. 

Is it crazy to think that in the 16th century Fray Jodoco would not be able to make a beer in strict rigor as he did in Flanders? Can anyone imagine a beer only from barley or wheat malt? Wouldn’t it be more logical to use corn? Perhaps we have found the first clue.

Fray Jodoco’s farewell

Just a couple of years after the first elaboration, in the year of 1569, the Fray was elected the guardian of the convent of Popayán, where he continued his life and work until his death in October 1575 (perhaps August 1578 according to other sources).

The monks and the beer

Why monks made beer in these territories is a long and confusing story, but we can summarize it in a few determining facts.

In 530, Benito de Nursia wrote a document known as Regula Benedicti (The Rules of Saint Benedict), where monks were called to live from their own work and to give travelers an inn. At that time drinking water was not safe because of the risk of contamination, so they served beer or wine, making the production of these drinks vital. However, in the fifteenth century there was a series of adverse climatic conditions for the vine; In addition, with the introduction of hops in beer, there were longer guard times and made it bacteriologically safer; Thus, beer gained popularity and ended up imposing itself on wine in these regions.

Although it was the Benedictines who began with this tradition, the problems they had within the order would lead to a constant decline, even abandoning monasteries such as Orval, which would be restored by the Cistercian Order. Today this order has two ramifications: The Common Observance, and the Cistercian Order of the Close Observance, the Trappist monks, which is a word that already sounds familiar to us. The Trappists were born in 1656, so Fray Jodoco could not have known them.

 

Franciscans 

Nevertheless, we must not overlook the fact that Fray Jodoco was a member of the Franciscan order.

This order arrives in Mechelen around 1231, with a monastery that now holds the Cultural Center of the city (Cultuurplein). That’s where he probably did his novitiate year.

It is not clear whether Fray Jodoco learned to make beer with the Franciscans or not. What is clear is that the monks were the ones who took the initiative and put themselves at the head of brewing at that time.

The amount of beer that was made in the monasteries

Among the jewels of history, we have the plans of the abbey of San Galo, which had a space dedicated to the abbey brewery and was used as a model for many others in the future. It actually had 3 breweries. One was used for guests, one for monks, and a third for pilgrims. In total, the records and plans of San Galo, indicate that between 350-400 liters of beer per day were needed, which had to be practically entirely produced inside the place. Nothing bad.

Beers in Flanders in the 16th century

One of the first things we want to comment on in this section is that when we think of Belgian beers we almost instantly relate them with high alcohol content and candi sugar, but the reality is that this practice was introduced around the 20s in the Last century, in order to increase the alcohol content, before that, sugars were used solely for the taste of beer.

Hop

As for hops, this was introduced in Flanders, Brabant, Utrecht and Liege, around the second half of the 14th century from Holland. Moreover, the hops trade was very restricted and paid high taxes, because the particularities it brings, led to an increase in the quality of the beers that chose the balance in favor of the beers that used it. The marketing and use of hops were very strictly controlled.

It can be thought then, that by the 16th century, although the use of this plant was fully consolidated, it would not be easy to transport, nor to use. In addition, the practice of using other bitter herbs (gruit) was still widespread.

Malts

Also, knowing that the malting processes were very precarious, too much, so that control over the malts used was limited to the eye of the wicked and very little technology. The result was malts that produced reddish musts, not light or dark. With which, we know that the beers that predominated were amber.

Today the use of dark malts is usually problematic, in the sixteenth century it probably was even more of a problem, so it was apparently not intended to make beers that have them in high content.

On the other hand, the supply of wheat at that time was an issue. Sometimes, we think of the terms of agricultural production and yield of this era, forgetting that much of it is due to the genetic and technical improvements of the modern era; for this reason, we must think in terms of the XV-XVI century. Bread made from wheat was of higher quality than barley, so the rulers wanted to use it for this purpose, leaving barley to make beer and bread for the poor. This was one of the reasons why the Reinheitsgebot in Bavaria banned the use of wheat.

Water

In the case of water, little was known about ions and how to correct water chemically to use it according to the brewer’s taste. Rather, they knew that certain rivers and springs had one or another property. Little more.

Yeast

In the sixteenth century there was no greater idea of ​​how the alcoholic fermentation process took place. It was Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (1632-1723), a Dutchman, probably the first to notice that microorganisms were found in a drop of beer. And it was not until when Erxleben in 1818 and 1837, De La Tour (France), and Schwann and Kützing (Germany), found that the process was given by living microorganisms.

Basically, in Fray Jodoco’s years, they didn’t know how it happened.

Fray Jodoco Ricke’s beer

After the above, we can begin to guess how Fray Jodoco Ricke’s beer could be.

You are in the sixteenth century, on the other side of the world, and that with the limited trade that was developed until then, it is unlikely that Fray Jodoco made a sustained import of supplies and machinery. The most logical thing is that he would pull what he found at the time and place.

Overall impression

From all the comments I have no doubt that this drink would be much more like a chicha than a beer. Very low alcohol content, perhaps between 2.5 – 3.5. With all the characteristics of spontaneous and open fermentation. In a certain reddish tone. Opaque. It would be a beer that with current standards we would define as very difficult to drink, but that for its time would be something pleasant.

Grinding

Most likely, they did have a part of barley and wheat, but I would bet that an important part of the recipe was made with some type of corn. It was cheaper, there was plenty.

The malting would be done on some hot stone, in the style of those who dry cocoa on a platform. The product, very irregular, and with very low probability of acceptable repeatability.

How much of each grain? You probably never know.

Bitterness

Most likely, bitterness was obtained from bitter herbs from the sector. I think improbable, or at least very complicated, the exclusive use of hops. Honestly, I have little information about herbs native to the Andes that can be used for this purpose.

Another important thing to be mentioned is that Quito’s water typically has a high Magnesium content. Having the certainty of which water wells or which rivers were used, makes it impossible for us to get an accurate idea of ​​this detail, but I would not be surprised if part of the bitterness comes from this source.

Microorganisms

At this point I have no doubt. A mixture of yeasts and wild microorganisms, native to the sector, together with those that would have arrived in the machinery or fermentation vats that the monk could have brought with himself or in charge years later.

In certain communities in the Andes, it is typical that good chicha is born when the proper container is used. This is not strange, because if the correct microorganisms have made their dwelling, during the next use, they will reproduce, repeating the cycle over and over again.

Not understanding very well how the issue of alcoholic fermentation worked, and because of its relationship with the natives, I don’t think it is far-fetched to think that a mixture of vessels used for chicha would be used with their own. Hence my guess.

In the end … the mystery of Fray Jodoco Ricke

Perhaps you can get information on more modern versions of the beers made by the Franciscan monks, but the problem is that in ancient times the secrets of a beer’s details were very jealously guarded. Few knew the exact mixtures of gruit, nobody used yeasts. Maltese processes very rudimentary. A vague knowledge of water. In short, little information, very little information.

Seeing Fray Jodoco Ricke’s beer with the eyes of a 21st-century brewer is complicated but magical. And perhaps these mysteries are never revealed in the detail that we would like but interpreting them and imagining what could have been is at least exciting. There are many things that cannot be assured but can be assumed, and that is what will keep this mystery open for much longer.

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Sources

For the writing of this article, numerous documentary sources have been consulted, such as Brew Like a Monk (Hieronymus, 2005), Beer in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance (Unger, 2004), A History of Brewing in Holland, 900-1900 (Unger, 2001). In addition to personal communications with brewers in the area.

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