Brewing Beer at Home in the 1800s

[Whippy]

Here is a pretty interesting article about homebrewing in the 1800s. The link is to Mother Earth News:

Click here for the article

 

[unionrdr]

Wonderfully outdated & charming in it's nievite'. Sounded like he needed to learn more about brewing,malting,etc.

 

[krackin]

Wonderfully outdated & charming in it's nievite'.

You talking about 'Mother Earth News' in general?

I remember the first catalog. It had pictures of nekked hippie wimmin in it! Oh how I longed to be a hippie for a week but I wasn't allowed to cuz I was a 'backwoods, redneck, trappin', hunter who made hooch type'. Plus I was only 12 or so.

 

[unionrdr]

No,the excerpt from the brewing story. Saved it to read the rest later. I love this atiquated stuff.

 

[Whippy]

I could only get to page 5 due to having to leave work, to be honest, but will finish reading while brewing tomorrow. I found there to be some great tips for brewing after the zombies attack LOL

It's worth a read I think!

 

[BBL_Brewer]

Cool article, thanks for posting.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

Read some more of that today. I guess 1.5 bbl partigyle home breweries weres standard in the 1800's. How the times have changed.

 

[ron,ar]

That was interesting as hell, I love innovation.
Hey, he used a LEAD weight to hold his birchwood screen in place!!! ....and we worry about a tad of solder contaminating our brew?

 

[Tupperwolf]

"But here occur some of the nicest points of all; namely, the degree of heat that the water is to be at, before you put in the malt. This heat is one hundred and seventy degrees by the thermometer. If you have a thermometer, this is ascertained easily; but, without one, take this rule, by which so much good beer has been made in England for hundreds of years: when you can, by looking down into the tub, see your face clearly in the water, the water is become cool enough; and you must not put the malt in before."

Interesting trick, I wonder just how accurate that is

 

[unionrdr]

Not to mention the tinlined beer machine. Perhaps the first home brew kit? That's interesting. & the way he rigs up pots,tubs,etc to do the job. But it also sounds like they just tossed in a pound of bittering hops & called it good. Plus a goodly amount of small beer. Very quaint but passionate treatise.

 

[BBL_Brewer]

Who needs a stainless steel braid? Just gather up some twigs form the ole birch tree. Three piece ball valve, nah. Just find you a good stick and plug the hole.