Lars Marius Garshol
@larsga.bsky.social
Author, speaker, and researcher of farmhouse ale.
Norwegian posts: @larsga-no.bsky.social
https://www.garshol.priv.no
Norwegian posts: @larsga-no.bsky.social
https://www.garshol.priv.no
Pinned
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. 🧵
Reposted by Lars Marius Garshol
A door from a 13th century building on my ancestral farm in Voss, Norway, for #aDoorableThursday - with imitation wooden pillars and evil spirits thoroughly warded off with tar crosses.
February 12, 2026 at 8:06 PM
A door from a 13th century building on my ancestral farm in Voss, Norway, for #aDoorableThursday - with imitation wooden pillars and evil spirits thoroughly warded off with tar crosses.
I made a video showing the size of European towns 700-2000.
It uses a log scale, so the area of each dot is _not_ proportional to the number of inhabitants. This makes it much easier to see smaller towns.
It uses a log scale, so the area of each dot is _not_ proportional to the number of inhabitants. This makes it much easier to see smaller towns.
February 12, 2026 at 12:23 PM
I made a video showing the size of European towns 700-2000.
It uses a log scale, so the area of each dot is _not_ proportional to the number of inhabitants. This makes it much easier to see smaller towns.
It uses a log scale, so the area of each dot is _not_ proportional to the number of inhabitants. This makes it much easier to see smaller towns.
Currently in the "haha, yes, YES! this will blow everyone away" phase of book writing.
No doubt the "am I sure this is right? What the hell, NOBODY will want to read this junk!" phase will return before long.
No doubt the "am I sure this is right? What the hell, NOBODY will want to read this junk!" phase will return before long.
February 12, 2026 at 9:39 AM
Currently in the "haha, yes, YES! this will blow everyone away" phase of book writing.
No doubt the "am I sure this is right? What the hell, NOBODY will want to read this junk!" phase will return before long.
No doubt the "am I sure this is right? What the hell, NOBODY will want to read this junk!" phase will return before long.
I made a video showing the size of European towns 700-2000.
The area of a dot is proportional to the number of inhabitants.
The area of a dot is proportional to the number of inhabitants.
February 11, 2026 at 10:00 AM
I made a video showing the size of European towns 700-2000.
The area of a dot is proportional to the number of inhabitants.
The area of a dot is proportional to the number of inhabitants.
The islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa are the main brewing hotspots in Estonia. Now authorities have opened a road so people can drive between them, over the ice. Just don't put your seatbelt on.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
Drive the ‘ice road’, Estonians told – just don’t fasten your seatbelt
Cold spell means cars can cross 20km stretch of frozen sea but drivers must be able to exit quickly in case of a problem
www.theguardian.com
February 11, 2026 at 7:45 AM
The islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa are the main brewing hotspots in Estonia. Now authorities have opened a road so people can drive between them, over the ice. Just don't put your seatbelt on.
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...
When studying the history of beer there are two important rules to always remember.
1. If one beer has the same name as another that doesn't mean it's the same beer.
2. If two beers have different names that doesn't mean they are different.
1. If one beer has the same name as another that doesn't mean it's the same beer.
2. If two beers have different names that doesn't mean they are different.
February 10, 2026 at 8:59 AM
When studying the history of beer there are two important rules to always remember.
1. If one beer has the same name as another that doesn't mean it's the same beer.
2. If two beers have different names that doesn't mean they are different.
1. If one beer has the same name as another that doesn't mean it's the same beer.
2. If two beers have different names that doesn't mean they are different.
Yesterday was one of those days in the mountains where you can't help but be sad for the people who missed it.
February 9, 2026 at 6:28 PM
Yesterday was one of those days in the mountains where you can't help but be sad for the people who missed it.
February 9, 2026 at 5:44 PM
The English may have had porter beer, but the Dutch had beer porters.
February 5, 2026 at 8:19 AM
The English may have had porter beer, but the Dutch had beer porters.
Sad to see that one myth (nobody drank water in the Middle Ages) is being replaced by another myth (people didn't drink beer every day against thirst instead of water).
The reality seems to be that those who could drank beer all day every day, but many couldn't. And not just in the Middle Ages.
The reality seems to be that those who could drank beer all day every day, but many couldn't. And not just in the Middle Ages.
Your reminder that that Medieval people drinking beer instead of water is a myth: fakehistoryhunter.net/2026/02/02/d...
Drinking water in the Middle Ages
The idea that medieval people drank ale or beer in stead of water because the water sources in Medieval Europe were usually polluted is a stubborn myth.In reality Medieval people had relatively eas…
fakehistoryhunter.net
February 3, 2026 at 9:34 AM
Sad to see that one myth (nobody drank water in the Middle Ages) is being replaced by another myth (people didn't drink beer every day against thirst instead of water).
The reality seems to be that those who could drank beer all day every day, but many couldn't. And not just in the Middle Ages.
The reality seems to be that those who could drank beer all day every day, but many couldn't. And not just in the Middle Ages.
Need something from this book that I didn't write up in my notes, and feeling annoyed with myself that I didn't buy it. So I searched for used copies and found they cost ~250 EUR.
Ah, yes, now I remember why I didn't buy it.
Ah, yes, now I remember why I didn't buy it.
February 3, 2026 at 8:39 AM
Need something from this book that I didn't write up in my notes, and feeling annoyed with myself that I didn't buy it. So I searched for used copies and found they cost ~250 EUR.
Ah, yes, now I remember why I didn't buy it.
Ah, yes, now I remember why I didn't buy it.
This month's newsletter has gone out. I've had some email issues lately, so if you're subscribing and don't get it, let me know.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, this is the newsletter buymeacoffee.com/larsblog
If you don't know what I'm talking about, this is the newsletter buymeacoffee.com/larsblog
Lars Marius Garshol is a beer researcher and writer
I am trying to document Europe's farmhouse brewing tradition, and to preserve what farmhouse yeast still exists, while I can. I am also trying to communicate this heritage to the beer community, and t
buymeacoffee.com
February 2, 2026 at 3:13 PM
This month's newsletter has gone out. I've had some email issues lately, so if you're subscribing and don't get it, let me know.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, this is the newsletter buymeacoffee.com/larsblog
If you don't know what I'm talking about, this is the newsletter buymeacoffee.com/larsblog
Tried this again with Claude, and it got the data out almost correctly. Parts of some columns moved one to the left or one to the right, but that was easy to fix manually.
Unfortunately, the data is too sparse and noisy for me to be able to get anything very interesting out of them
Unfortunately, the data is too sparse and noisy for me to be able to get anything very interesting out of them
Found super interesting data on income from gruit and hop taxation in the Netherlands, but unfortunately as three pages of table. If I could turn that into graphs there's probably lots of valuable info in it. But how?
I figured this might be something AI could actually be useful for.
Thread.
I figured this might be something AI could actually be useful for.
Thread.
February 1, 2026 at 8:37 PM
Tried this again with Claude, and it got the data out almost correctly. Parts of some columns moved one to the left or one to the right, but that was easy to fix manually.
Unfortunately, the data is too sparse and noisy for me to be able to get anything very interesting out of them
Unfortunately, the data is too sparse and noisy for me to be able to get anything very interesting out of them
Reposted by Lars Marius Garshol
Hotel rooms and bus tickets from the airport are now available!
Please see the festival web page for details www.norskkornolfestival.no/do-it-yourse...
Please see the festival web page for details www.norskkornolfestival.no/do-it-yourse...
February 1, 2026 at 1:18 PM
Hotel rooms and bus tickets from the airport are now available!
Please see the festival web page for details www.norskkornolfestival.no/do-it-yourse...
Please see the festival web page for details www.norskkornolfestival.no/do-it-yourse...
Took a quick look into The Other Site to see what's up, and saw this. Yeah, sounds about right.
January 30, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Took a quick look into The Other Site to see what's up, and saw this. Yeah, sounds about right.
Found super interesting data on income from gruit and hop taxation in the Netherlands, but unfortunately as three pages of table. If I could turn that into graphs there's probably lots of valuable info in it. But how?
I figured this might be something AI could actually be useful for.
Thread.
I figured this might be something AI could actually be useful for.
Thread.
January 30, 2026 at 7:09 PM
Found super interesting data on income from gruit and hop taxation in the Netherlands, but unfortunately as three pages of table. If I could turn that into graphs there's probably lots of valuable info in it. But how?
I figured this might be something AI could actually be useful for.
Thread.
I figured this might be something AI could actually be useful for.
Thread.
Reposted by Lars Marius Garshol
Whilst I’m in my photos of the National Museum in Copenhagen, you’d better have this 360 of the Gundestrup Cauldron. Found in 1891 in a Jutland peat bog, there are more questions hanging over this silver Iron Age vessel than answers…only its shocking beauty is uncontested.
#FindsFriday
#FindsFriday
January 30, 2026 at 11:36 AM
Whilst I’m in my photos of the National Museum in Copenhagen, you’d better have this 360 of the Gundestrup Cauldron. Found in 1891 in a Jutland peat bog, there are more questions hanging over this silver Iron Age vessel than answers…only its shocking beauty is uncontested.
#FindsFriday
#FindsFriday
Been reading up on Richard Unger's work over the last few days (because reasons), and it's super valuable, of course, but I'm struck by one thing. From 1988 to 2007 he consistently refers to Odd Nordland as Odd Nordlund. Seems to be 100% consistent. That's ... strange.
January 30, 2026 at 12:27 PM
Been reading up on Richard Unger's work over the last few days (because reasons), and it's super valuable, of course, but I'm struck by one thing. From 1988 to 2007 he consistently refers to Odd Nordland as Odd Nordlund. Seems to be 100% consistent. That's ... strange.
Just became aware that this book, on beer legislation, has come out www.cambridge.org/core/books/b...
Beer Law
Cambridge Core - Intellectual Property - Beer Law
www.cambridge.org
January 28, 2026 at 12:40 PM
Just became aware that this book, on beer legislation, has come out www.cambridge.org/core/books/b...
Reposted by Lars Marius Garshol
Outside The American embassy in Copenhagen. 1 flag for each Danish soldier who died along side American soldiers in Afghanistan.
Flags have been removed by the embassy, on danish soil, danish property.
Disgusting and shameful.
Flags have been removed by the embassy, on danish soil, danish property.
Disgusting and shameful.
January 27, 2026 at 9:45 PM
Outside The American embassy in Copenhagen. 1 flag for each Danish soldier who died along side American soldiers in Afghanistan.
Flags have been removed by the embassy, on danish soil, danish property.
Disgusting and shameful.
Flags have been removed by the embassy, on danish soil, danish property.
Disgusting and shameful.
Wanted to check if a common misconception in Norway is also a common misconception in English-speaking areas, so I searched for "viking mead".
Thanks Google AI, for this load of complete nonsense. Such a dense weave of disinformation it would take several pages to clear it up.
Thanks Google AI, for this load of complete nonsense. Such a dense weave of disinformation it would take several pages to clear it up.
January 27, 2026 at 7:50 AM
Wanted to check if a common misconception in Norway is also a common misconception in English-speaking areas, so I searched for "viking mead".
Thanks Google AI, for this load of complete nonsense. Such a dense weave of disinformation it would take several pages to clear it up.
Thanks Google AI, for this load of complete nonsense. Such a dense weave of disinformation it would take several pages to clear it up.
Still have a liter left of this excellent, truly wonderful Vossaøl. Best Christmas present ever. (Bottled it because that’s so much easier than pouring from a 10-liter canister.)
January 24, 2026 at 9:05 PM
Still have a liter left of this excellent, truly wonderful Vossaøl. Best Christmas present ever. (Bottled it because that’s so much easier than pouring from a 10-liter canister.)
Bass famously registered the first trademark in Britain in 1876, and today I learned that the first registered trademark in Norway, in 1885, was for a brewery named Frydenlund. The brewery had been having trouble with other brewers copying their trademark and using it to sell their own beer.
January 24, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Bass famously registered the first trademark in Britain in 1876, and today I learned that the first registered trademark in Norway, in 1885, was for a brewery named Frydenlund. The brewery had been having trouble with other brewers copying their trademark and using it to sell their own beer.
It's a real shame that people who don't know maths got hold of this word, because it used to be really useful for describing things that grow exponentially. Now it just means "big".
January 23, 2026 at 6:33 PM
It's a real shame that people who don't know maths got hold of this word, because it used to be really useful for describing things that grow exponentially. Now it just means "big".
Impossibly gorgeous day at the cabin. From here, up on the hill, we skied down into the fog.
January 17, 2026 at 3:48 PM
Impossibly gorgeous day at the cabin. From here, up on the hill, we skied down into the fog.