The "Old Timers Method" of brewing...

Over the last couple of weeks I have talked to folks my age who helped their dads, uncles and even grandads make beer when they were kids.

They all talk about using a lightbulb under a 40 gallon ceramic kettle and opening cans of Blue Ribbon. I'm assuming they used pre hopped Blue Ribbon malt extract and just needed to heat the stuff up enough to get it to mix with water then add yeast. They also mention bottling by putting a teaspoon of cane sugar in each bottle and helping to cap.

I have the bottling part figured out, but I'm unsure of the brewing part. Has anybody brewed this way?

It's really similar to the Mr Beer system, minus the gnarly brown plastic fermenter. You are adding pre-hopped mix to some water and going for it. They might not even be heating this up at all.

yeah theres a few discussion on the pre-prohibition style of homebrewing on here.

There's even a podcast about it on Basic Brewing.

February 14, 2008 - Homebrew History
Charlie Papazian shares a bit of homebrew history 30 years after legislation legalizing home brewing passed Congress. Also, home brewer Robb Holmes talks about brewing when it was breaking the law.

http://media.libsyn.com/media/basicbrewing/bbr02-14-08history.mp3

Click to expand...

That's kinda what I figured..

Hey, McBrew... I see you're a somewhat local guy. I never realy noticed many WA folks on this board. Are there more?

Jeffro said:

Over the last couple of weeks I have talked to folks my age who helped their dads, uncles and even grandads make beer when they were kids.

I have the bottling part figured out, but I'm unsure of the brewing part. Has anybody brewed this way?

Click to expand...

My Dad made beer like that in the 1950s and my first few brews 37 years ago were similar. If you are curious the beer is godawful by modern standards. I hope you are just curious and aren't planning to try it.

BigEd said:

I hope you are just curious and aren't planning to try it.

Click to expand...

Oh hell no....

I'm just very interested in the history of beer making in general.

I just remember my dad making beer in the 80's. The store he got his supplies from had about 5 different types of canned extract. With such amazingly descriptive names as "light beer" and "dark beer" and that was it. Love the selection I have now! Shame my dad had to go on the wagon or he'd enjoy the hobby now.

ChshreCat said:

I just remember my dad making beer in the 80's. The store he got his supplies from had about 5 different types of canned extract. With such amazingly descriptive names as "light beer" and "dark beer" and that was it. Love the selection I have now! Shame my dad had to go on the wagon or he'd enjoy the hobby now.

Click to expand...

WOW... Another Washingtonian....

My dad never brewed, he likes Lagers and Commercial Swill... We went to many breweries in Europe though when I was a kid. I just wish I had taken notes...

Yup another WA resident.

Now who has a "Mack and Jack" clone recipe for me?? =)

Jeffro said:

That's kinda what I figured..

Hey, McBrew... I see you're a somewhat local guy. I never realy noticed many WA folks on this board. Are there more?

Click to expand...

Quite a few. Check out the PNW brewers for more HomeBrewTalk Groups - Pacific Northwest Brewers.

McKBrew said:

Quite a few. Check out the PNW brewers for more HomeBrewTalk Groups - Pacific Northwest Brewers.

Click to expand...

OK... I'm in...

WHen I was a kid my uncle made beer from potatos and raisins in water with bread yeast. I never tasted it, but it apparently was very very strong. I remember it in huge crock in their kitchen... after bottling he kept in in the well house. I remember LOTS of bottle bombs too!

FxdGrMind said:

Now who has a "Mack and Jack" clone recipe for me?? =)

Click to expand...

African Amber clone

Gonefishing said:

WHen I was a kid my uncle made beer from potatos and raisins in water with bread yeast. I never tasted it, but it apparently was very very strong. I remember it in huge crock in their kitchen... after bottling he kept in in the well house. I remember LOTS of bottle bombs too!

Click to expand...

I've had it in my mind to try a sweet potato beer for some time (since the starch to sugar conversion takes place in sweet potatoes just like in the mash)... but a straight-up potato beer?

When I was telling my Grandma about my brewing, she recalled how, during prohibition when she and Grandpa were newlyweds, she would be in the kitchen siphoning beer into the bottles and corking them. Very cool!