Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures

by Merlin Sheldrake

Many of the historical brews were fun to drink. The meads brought on laughter. The gruit ales made people talkative. Dr. Butler’s ale induced a peculiar golden heaviness. Some were bottled havoc. Whatever their effect, I was fascinated by the process of brewing a historical text into being. Old brewing recipes are records of how yeasts have etched themselves into human lives and minds over the last few hundred years. In all the pages of these books, yeasts are a silent companion, an invisible participant in human culture. Ultimately, these recipes were stories that made sense of how substances decomposed. They reminded me that it matters what stories we use to make sense of the world. The story you hear about grain determines whether you end up with bread or beer. The story you hear about milk determines whether you end up with yogurt or cheese. The story you hear about apples determines whether you end up with sauce or cider.