Found a civil war era beer recipe.

[gambit88]

It calls for a quart of maple syrup, a tablespoon of spruce extract, and four gallons of water. I also found similar recipe that said to add a half cup of hops. Now please correct me if I"m wrong but wouldnt that be a really weak beer? I'm thinking Less then 3% abv. I Plan on trying to make this recipe for some of my reenactor buddies so I'm going to do this as authentic as possible The recipe calls for bottling after 3 days so it must be a fast fermentation. Sense special brew yeasts weren't around back then what would happen if I used bread yeast? What kind of yeast or hops would you guys reccomend?

Thanks.

Gambit

Note.
Here is a link to 1860s drink recipes.
Civil War Alcoholic Drink Recipes

Im looking at the maple beer recipe, but will probably add the hops from the spruce and boneset beer

 

[Revvy]

Interesting page. Technically nothing in there is a true beer, since they aren't made with grain.

I've been on the hunt for a true civil war era ale recipe and have had little luck. Though my understanding is that a brew club here in Michigan actually did find a recipe and brewed a true civil war beer, iirc they roasted their own grain for it as well.

 

[MDVDuber]

I found a very interesting - if dry and dated read in this book:

I got it from my local library - it contained many recipes like yours and a good bit of discussion. One of the coolest things was that it was really the Proceedings of a meeting held during Prohibition.

 

[teucer]

A lot of 19th-century beers are week by modern standards. (And yes, that maple thing definitely would be.)

 

[bierhaus15]

Interesting that it would use maple syrup over molasses. Many spruce beers from the 17th to turn of the century used molasses almost exclusively for their fermentables, as it it was relatively cheap and widely available.

I've made a few spruce-molasses beers (one gallon batches) and it is definitely an acquired taste. More like a flavored water type of thing than what we now call beer.

 

[Cape Brewing]

Interesting page. Technically nothing in there is a true beer, since they aren't made with grain.

I've been on the hunt for a true civil war era ale recipe and have had little luck. Though my understanding is that a brew club here in Michigan actually did find a recipe and brewed a true civil war beer, iirc they roasted their own grain for it as well.

Isn't MrBowens a historical beer buff??

 

[unionrdr]

Interesting recipes. But it does sound like commercial baker's yeast to me. But 3 days & bottle? Maybe they figured the ferment finishing in the bottle would carbonate it? I had my own version of Apple Jack that I made years ago. I let it ferment about 3/4ths out. It was clear by then,& bottled it for one year. The flavors changed 4 times in that year. At the end,it looked/tasted a lot like an Asti.

 

[Revvy]

Isn't MrBowens a historical beer buff??

Yeah, both He and Bob...Neither have found a pure civil war recipe over the years. The closest I've come to an ale would probably have to be the Kentucky Common.

 

[gambit88]

Revvy I found this as well. Read the second post.
Civil War Beer Recipe - Homebrewing - BeerAdvocate

It has a bulk recipe and some peoples interpratations. The grains are just listed as malt but I dont know malt.

Gambit

 

[unionrdr]

The recipes are pretty vague. It would help if they were described as to color,flavor,etc.

 

[gambit88]

I know that's whats making it hard. I was hoping to find a full strength ale but no luck. I did find quite a few small ale recipes. I assume that would most likely be the rations to the troops.

Gambit

 

[Revvy]

Revvy I found this as well. Read the second post.
Civil War Beer Recipe - Homebrewing - BeerAdvocate

It has a bulk recipe and some peoples interpratations. The grains are just listed as malt but I dont know malt.

Gambit

Thanks, that's pretty much all the discussions/info out there. But like the guy in the third post mentions it really seems that the beers would more than likely have corn in them, close to a cream ale or a common, that's why I've gone with a Kentucky Common.

 

[gambit88]

Ok im going to look into the Kentucky common but I'm going to try the small ale first. I have a feeling it won't taste as good as my other brews but now I'm curious. I'll start it Monday after I bottle the scotch ale.

Gambit

 

[michaeltrego]

Those recipes are really interesting - thanks for posting the link. You have to love the "Cheap Irish Whiskey (makes about 30 gallons)" recipe where the first ingredient is "30 gallons cheap whiskey, 80-90 proof" -- duh!

 

[gambit88]

Ya I thought about doing the bonesnip ale (i know I spelt that wrong but its in the link) unrolled I looked up up some of the parts and saw they were poisonous. Made the raidator gin look top shelf.

Gambit