My Grandads Recipe - for history buffs only

[steveg5555]

My grandfather was a chemist for DuPont from the 40's thru the 80's. He was reportedly an avid home brewer for many years. He kept meticulous notes in his brew journals. He passed away when I was 25 and my grandmother threw away all of his journals. (Just like she threw away my Uncle's comics when he left for college(spiderman 1-40 anyone?!!)) My grandmother saved an odd collection of things and in one of the boxes was what appears to be a "beer" recipe that was found last week. It looks like a way to make the cheapest beer possible with ingredients from a market. I will probably try it just to say I did but it doesn't look too appetizing. Does anyone know the history behind the "coons process" name? Google gave me nothing.

 

[Pilgarlic]

Interesting historical piece. Thanks for sharing.

 

[boscobeans]

Basically the same recipe most people brewed back in the 60's in my old neighborhood. I remember using two cans of Blue Ribbon (sugar-I don't remember how much) to make 10 gallons (fermented in a 12 gallon crock with a towel over it). We all added sugar to each bottle when we put it up because we didn't have bottling buckets or carboys.

Beer was just that "beer". Nothing great and always had a yeasty taste, probably due to using brewer's yeast from the local bakery.

bosco

 

[Bigcorona]

I made something like this in the 70s. I think I used Coopers yeast, but not sure. I did not keep at it too long. Only restarted home brewing last year.

 

[steveg5555]

Made this recipe just for fun. Used 1 can of pale malt and .5oz of hops to emulate the prehopped extract. Made a 1/2 recipe and cut the sugar in half to account for the extract quantity. Used dry ale yeast. Came out crystal clear, looks beautiful. Tastes like you would expect, beer and apple cider mixed. The ABV I calculated at 9.2%. Glad I made it and Ill share with some family members that would remember granddad's beer, but I wont be putting this one into the rotation.

 

[badhabit]

This is great. I remember brewing with my dad 45+ years ago pretty much exactly the same way that is written up. He used corn sugar rather than table. Bought the corn sugar from the grain elevator. He got the Blue Lable at the grocery store. I remember how excited he was the first time he was abe to get a hopped LME for brewing. It was an EDME Pale Ale.

 

[janitorjerm]

Does anyone know the history behind the "coons process" name? Google gave me nothing.

Maybe "Coon" was the nickname of someone who helped him do this, and this was his/their process? Or, maybe, it could have been a nickname for him?

 

[Budzu]

 

[Dunerunner]

Interesting what folks had to brew with just a few years ago. Makes me appreciate the selection at the lHBS!

 

[FarmerTed]

Coon is basically an old racist term for a black man; I'm 90% sure that's what the recipe is referencing.

 

[Pilgarlic]

Coon is basically an old racist term for a black man; I'm 90% sure that's what the recipe is referencing.

The racially pejorative use of the term is pretty common knowledge, but what makes you 90% sure, here?

 

[FarmerTed]

Well, maybe the OP's grandaddy was nicknamed Coon. How would I know? Otherwise, it's probably the obvious explanation. I didn't do the calculation on a spreadsheet.

 

[Pilgarlic]

Well, maybe the OP's grandaddy was nicknamed Coon. How would I know? Otherwise, it's probably the obvious explanation. I didn't do the calculation on a spreadsheet.

Just thought maybe you knew something we didn't.

 

[steveg5555]

The slur was the first place I went but I was hoping someone would say that the coon is part of some ancient brewing folklore. So much for that. The fun part about history is that "it is what it is". Dont think Ill be making labels up with the name though. Thanks for everyone's responses. Cheers.

 

[steveg5555]

BigCorona is right. I looked at a few bottles the other day and they look like snow globes with crap floating all around. Oh well.
Now I have first hand knowledge of why we spend all that time boiling the stuff. The recipe as you can see if a "no boil".
Time to dump some bottles, scrub them up, and get bottling the next batch of something a little more traditional.

 

[solo_smith]

Where did your grandad grow up and live? Coon is a racial pejorative, but specific to certain regions and time frames. As a historian, I would love to here that this is a cute nickname, but sadly it probably isn't. Doesn't take away from the fact that it is a neat bit of family history.

 

[steveg5555]

Md, pa, de

 

[solo_smith]

Yeah, it would more than likely be a racial term; but it is commonly used to denote how someone poor or uneducated would fix something. There are all sorts of references like this: Jerry rigging is another common one. Others are even more offensive.

People of the past had different sensibilities than we do today. It is a really neat piece of family history. Too bad you haven't found others. I am going to give it a try just for the historical aspect. Thanks for sharing it.

 

[LansingX]

I'll throw my guess in too. "Coons Process" made me think it could be my brother-in-laws recipe, his last name was Coon. However, hate to admit it but he wasn't that bright and wasn't into brewing. My other thought is a recipe that may have came from someone he knew in Louisiana. It is amazing how terms our parents and grandparents used are becoming extinct.

 

[daksin]

Hate to drag anyone's granddad through the muck, but I have to agree with the C word being used as a perjorative, although it really was just the common vernacular back then- probably almost nothing racial about it at that point. Even where I live in progressive liberal southern california, I still hear the n-word version of "jury-rigged" used in everyday parlance. Coon's process was probably just referring to a cheap, easy way of making something drinkable and alcoholic.

SUPER cool find, though- I want to make this beer even though I don't think it will taste very good. Anybody want to send me a spare primary? All of mine are full.