bikegeek
Well-Known Member
The Hobbit Brew thread and my general interest in 17th Century English history got me interested in what beer of that period may have been like. I've come across several sources quoting "recipes" of the period, but most are more of an outline of the process than an actual accounting of ingredients and quantities. Below is a recipe I found from The Description of England, written by William Harrison in 1577. I wasn't happy with the various interpretations found on the 'net or in A Sip Though Time, so this is my attempt at converting the original to a 5 gallon, all-grain recipe.
I welcome your input, especially concerning yeast and hops.
The original text:
Nevertheless, sith I have taken occasion to speake of bruin, I will exemplifie in such a proportion as I am best skilled in, bicause it is the usuall rate for mine owne familie, and once in a moneth practiced by my wife and hir maid servants, who proceed withall after this maner, as she hath oft informed me. Having therefore groond eight bushels of good malt upon our querne, where the toll is saved, she addeth unto it half a bushel of wheat meale, and so much of otes small groond, and so tempereth or mixeth them with the malt, that you cannot easily discerne the one from the other, otherwise these later would clunter, fall into lumps, and thereby become unprofitable.
The first liquor which is full eightie gallons according to the proportion of our furnace, she maketh boiling hot, and then powreth it softlie into the malt, where it resteth (but without stirring) untill hir second liquor be almost ready to boile.
This doone she letteth hir mash run till the malt be left without liquor, or at the leastwise the greater part of the moisture, which she perceiveth by the staie and softe issue thereof, and by this time hir second liquor in the furnace is ready to seeth, which is put also to the malt as the first woort also againe into the furnace, whereunto she addeth two pounds of the best English hops. and so letteth them seeth together by the space of two hours in summer, or an houre and a halfe in winter, whereby it getteth an excellent colour and continuance without impeachment, or anie superfluous tartnesse. But before she putteth her first woort into the furnace, or mingleth it with the hops, she taketh out a vessel full, of eight or nine gallons, which she shutteth up close, and suffereth no aire to come into it till it become yellow, and this she reserveth by it selfe unto further use, as shall appeare hereafter, calling it Brackwoort or Charwoort, and as she saith it addeth also to the colour of the drinke, whereby it yeeldeth not unto amber or fine gold in hew unto the eie.
By this time also hir second woort is let runne, and the first being taken out of the furnace and placed to coole, she returneth the middle woort into the furnace, where it is striker over, or from whence it is taken againe. "When she hath mashed also the last liquor (and set the second to coole by the first) she letteth it runne and then seetheth it againe with a pound and a half of new hops or peradventure two pounds as she seeth cause by the goodness or baseness of the hops; and when it hath sodden in summer two hours, and in winter an houre and a halfe, she striketh it also and reserveth it unto mixture with the rest when time doth serve therefore. [Finally, when she setteth her drink together, she addeth to her brackwoort or charwoort half an ounce of arras, and half a quarter of an ounce of bayberries, finely powdered, and then, putting the same into her woort, with a handful of wheat flour, she proceedeth in such usual order as common brewing requireth. Some, instead of arras and bays, add so much long pepper only, but, in her opinion and my liking, it is not so good as the first, and hereof we make three hogsheads of good beer, such (I mean) as is meet for poor men as I am to live withal, whose small maintenance (for what great thing is forty pounds a year, computatis computandis, able to perform?) may endure no deepeer cut, the charges whereof groweth in this manner.] I value my malt at ten shillings, my wood at foure shillings which I buie, my hops at twenty pence, the spice at two pence, servants wages two shillings sixpence, both meat and drinke, and the wearing of my vessell at twentie pence, so that for my twenty shillings I have ten score gallons of beer or more, notwithstanding the loss in seething. The continuance of the drinke is always determined after the quantitie of the hops, so that being well hopped it lasteth longer. For it feedeth upon the hop and holdeth out so long as the force of the same endureth which being extinguished the drinke must be spent or else it dieth and becometh of no value.
My work, so far:
The Recipe (80 gallons * 3)
eight bushels of good malt
half a bushel of wheat meale
and so much of otes
two pounds of the best English hops
againe with a pound and a half of new hops or peradventure two pounds
Assumptions:
1. Modern British measures are comparable to 16th century measures.
2. 1 gallon of malt, 1 gallon of wheat, and 1 gallon of oats all weigh the same. (I have no wheat or oats on hand to weigh)
3. Second hops addition is 2 pounds
4. 0.10 gallons water absorbed per pound of grain
5. 10% evaporation per hour of boiling
6. Storage in wood casks (size unknown)
Conversions
1 gallon (UK) = 1.201 gallons (US) (Pocket Ref, 3rd Ed., Glover, T.J.)
1 bushel (UK) = 1.032 bushels (US) (Pocket Ref, 3rd Ed., Glover, T.J.)
1 bushel (US) = 9.309 gallons (US) (Pocket Ref, 3rd Ed., Glover, T.J.)
0.5 gallons (US) of malted barley = 2 lbs, 6.625 oz or 2.414 lbs (personal experience)
1 gallon (US) malted barley = 4 lbs, 13.25 oz or 4.828 lbs (calculated)
1 bushel (UK) = 44.943 lbs (US) of malted barley (calculated)
1 pound (troy) = 0.823 lbs (US)
The Recipe Re-visited (288.24 gallons US)
359.54 lbs malt
22.47 lbs wheat meal
22.47 lbs oats
1.65 lbs hops (first running - 96.08 gal US)
1.23 - 1.65 lbs hops (third running - 96.08 gal US)
First running (96.08 gal US)
35.9 gallons absorbed by the grain
8 gallons removed for other uses
12.04 gallons lost to evaporation (2 hours)
40.14 gallons remaining
Second running (96.08 gal US)
grain saturated, no further absorption
19.22 gallons lost to evaporation (2 hours)
76.86 gallons remaining
Third running (96.08 gal US)
grain saturated, no further absorption
19.22 gallons lost to evaporation (2 hours)
76.86 gallons remaining
Return the 8 gallons of brackwort
Total yield: 201.86 gallons US (168.08 gallons UK), not quite ten score gallons
Scaled for yield of 5 gallons (US)
(359.54/201.86)*5 = 8.91 lbs malt
(22.47/201.86)*5 = 0.56 lbs wheat meal
(22.47/201.86)*5 = 0.56 lbs oats
(((1.65*2)*16)/201.86)*5 = 1.31 oz hops
I welcome your input, especially concerning yeast and hops.
The original text:
Nevertheless, sith I have taken occasion to speake of bruin, I will exemplifie in such a proportion as I am best skilled in, bicause it is the usuall rate for mine owne familie, and once in a moneth practiced by my wife and hir maid servants, who proceed withall after this maner, as she hath oft informed me. Having therefore groond eight bushels of good malt upon our querne, where the toll is saved, she addeth unto it half a bushel of wheat meale, and so much of otes small groond, and so tempereth or mixeth them with the malt, that you cannot easily discerne the one from the other, otherwise these later would clunter, fall into lumps, and thereby become unprofitable.
The first liquor which is full eightie gallons according to the proportion of our furnace, she maketh boiling hot, and then powreth it softlie into the malt, where it resteth (but without stirring) untill hir second liquor be almost ready to boile.
This doone she letteth hir mash run till the malt be left without liquor, or at the leastwise the greater part of the moisture, which she perceiveth by the staie and softe issue thereof, and by this time hir second liquor in the furnace is ready to seeth, which is put also to the malt as the first woort also againe into the furnace, whereunto she addeth two pounds of the best English hops. and so letteth them seeth together by the space of two hours in summer, or an houre and a halfe in winter, whereby it getteth an excellent colour and continuance without impeachment, or anie superfluous tartnesse. But before she putteth her first woort into the furnace, or mingleth it with the hops, she taketh out a vessel full, of eight or nine gallons, which she shutteth up close, and suffereth no aire to come into it till it become yellow, and this she reserveth by it selfe unto further use, as shall appeare hereafter, calling it Brackwoort or Charwoort, and as she saith it addeth also to the colour of the drinke, whereby it yeeldeth not unto amber or fine gold in hew unto the eie.
By this time also hir second woort is let runne, and the first being taken out of the furnace and placed to coole, she returneth the middle woort into the furnace, where it is striker over, or from whence it is taken againe. "When she hath mashed also the last liquor (and set the second to coole by the first) she letteth it runne and then seetheth it againe with a pound and a half of new hops or peradventure two pounds as she seeth cause by the goodness or baseness of the hops; and when it hath sodden in summer two hours, and in winter an houre and a halfe, she striketh it also and reserveth it unto mixture with the rest when time doth serve therefore. [Finally, when she setteth her drink together, she addeth to her brackwoort or charwoort half an ounce of arras, and half a quarter of an ounce of bayberries, finely powdered, and then, putting the same into her woort, with a handful of wheat flour, she proceedeth in such usual order as common brewing requireth. Some, instead of arras and bays, add so much long pepper only, but, in her opinion and my liking, it is not so good as the first, and hereof we make three hogsheads of good beer, such (I mean) as is meet for poor men as I am to live withal, whose small maintenance (for what great thing is forty pounds a year, computatis computandis, able to perform?) may endure no deepeer cut, the charges whereof groweth in this manner.] I value my malt at ten shillings, my wood at foure shillings which I buie, my hops at twenty pence, the spice at two pence, servants wages two shillings sixpence, both meat and drinke, and the wearing of my vessell at twentie pence, so that for my twenty shillings I have ten score gallons of beer or more, notwithstanding the loss in seething. The continuance of the drinke is always determined after the quantitie of the hops, so that being well hopped it lasteth longer. For it feedeth upon the hop and holdeth out so long as the force of the same endureth which being extinguished the drinke must be spent or else it dieth and becometh of no value.
My work, so far:
The Recipe (80 gallons * 3)
eight bushels of good malt
half a bushel of wheat meale
and so much of otes
two pounds of the best English hops
againe with a pound and a half of new hops or peradventure two pounds
Assumptions:
1. Modern British measures are comparable to 16th century measures.
2. 1 gallon of malt, 1 gallon of wheat, and 1 gallon of oats all weigh the same. (I have no wheat or oats on hand to weigh)
3. Second hops addition is 2 pounds
4. 0.10 gallons water absorbed per pound of grain
5. 10% evaporation per hour of boiling
6. Storage in wood casks (size unknown)
Conversions
1 gallon (UK) = 1.201 gallons (US) (Pocket Ref, 3rd Ed., Glover, T.J.)
1 bushel (UK) = 1.032 bushels (US) (Pocket Ref, 3rd Ed., Glover, T.J.)
1 bushel (US) = 9.309 gallons (US) (Pocket Ref, 3rd Ed., Glover, T.J.)
0.5 gallons (US) of malted barley = 2 lbs, 6.625 oz or 2.414 lbs (personal experience)
1 gallon (US) malted barley = 4 lbs, 13.25 oz or 4.828 lbs (calculated)
1 bushel (UK) = 44.943 lbs (US) of malted barley (calculated)
1 pound (troy) = 0.823 lbs (US)
The Recipe Re-visited (288.24 gallons US)
359.54 lbs malt
22.47 lbs wheat meal
22.47 lbs oats
1.65 lbs hops (first running - 96.08 gal US)
1.23 - 1.65 lbs hops (third running - 96.08 gal US)
First running (96.08 gal US)
35.9 gallons absorbed by the grain
8 gallons removed for other uses
12.04 gallons lost to evaporation (2 hours)
40.14 gallons remaining
Second running (96.08 gal US)
grain saturated, no further absorption
19.22 gallons lost to evaporation (2 hours)
76.86 gallons remaining
Third running (96.08 gal US)
grain saturated, no further absorption
19.22 gallons lost to evaporation (2 hours)
76.86 gallons remaining
Return the 8 gallons of brackwort
Total yield: 201.86 gallons US (168.08 gallons UK), not quite ten score gallons
Scaled for yield of 5 gallons (US)
(359.54/201.86)*5 = 8.91 lbs malt
(22.47/201.86)*5 = 0.56 lbs wheat meal
(22.47/201.86)*5 = 0.56 lbs oats
(((1.65*2)*16)/201.86)*5 = 1.31 oz hops
