Pennsyltucky
Well-Known Member
Found this on Colonial Williamsburg's Facebook page today...
"We recently had a Twitter fan ask about Spruce Beer, and we thought we'd share the answer with you as well. The original post: "luv the "History is Served" recipes http://bit.ly/hdtw9N Do u have 1 for Spruce Beer? It was a Patriot favorite."
We made some calls and were able to track down the recipe with the help of Robert Brantley, a journeyman in Historic Foodways. The recipe comes from prominent Virginian Mary Randolphs cookbook, Virginia House-Wife. If you'd like to learn more about Mary Randolph and her cookbook, go to http://recipes.history.org/bibliography/.
SPRUCE BEER
Boil a handful of hops, twice as much of the chippings of sassafras root in 10 gallons of water, drain.Pour in while hot one gallon molasses, two spoons full of the essence of spruce, two spoons full of powdered ginger, and one of pounded allspice. Put it in a cask when sufficiently cold, add half a pint of good yeast, stir it well and stop it up close, and when fermented and clear, bottle it and cork it tight."
"We recently had a Twitter fan ask about Spruce Beer, and we thought we'd share the answer with you as well. The original post: "luv the "History is Served" recipes http://bit.ly/hdtw9N Do u have 1 for Spruce Beer? It was a Patriot favorite."
We made some calls and were able to track down the recipe with the help of Robert Brantley, a journeyman in Historic Foodways. The recipe comes from prominent Virginian Mary Randolphs cookbook, Virginia House-Wife. If you'd like to learn more about Mary Randolph and her cookbook, go to http://recipes.history.org/bibliography/.
SPRUCE BEER
Boil a handful of hops, twice as much of the chippings of sassafras root in 10 gallons of water, drain.Pour in while hot one gallon molasses, two spoons full of the essence of spruce, two spoons full of powdered ginger, and one of pounded allspice. Put it in a cask when sufficiently cold, add half a pint of good yeast, stir it well and stop it up close, and when fermented and clear, bottle it and cork it tight."
