Interest in a Historic Beer Swap?

[Bob]

Well, I don't have a calibrated SRM set handy, so I can't give you definitive numbers. But the "porter" Chris & I brewed to Coppinger's recipe is much more of a brown ale than what we would consider a modern Porter, even Brown Porter. It's darker than Newcastle, but nowhere near black. So I guess is depends on your definition of "dark".

I don't think all malts were that brown. I'm also convinced they were all that light. If the palest malts were much lighter than 4-5L before the advent of the drum roaster, I'd be very much surprised. That's why I prefer Maris Otter or Mild Ale malt as the base malt in my historical beers.

Make sense?

Bob

 

[KingBrianI]

I hadn't even thought about mild malt. Do you think mild malt is a good approximation of the pale malts from this period? If not, what do you think about a mix of mild malt, amber malt, and brown malt in an approximately 75/20/5 ratio? It looks like 10 lbs of this mix in a 5.5 gal ale would be 13 srm.

 

[Bob]

Mild malt can be a decent approximation, as can any floor-malted base malt that is >3L. Note that does not include Vienna; though it can be used as a base malt, it is not appropriate before the advent of the drum roaster.

Which malt - or mix of malts - to choose depends on what you're trying to do. I don't think you need to go to proportions of base, amber and brown to replicate the color of an historical base malt. But I admit it depends on the intent.

Bob

 

[KingBrianI]

Bob, thanks for all the info so far!! Since you seem well-read on the subject, what are your opinions on the gruit? I haven't been able to find any good historical data on the amount/volume of the different herbs or even when each was typically added in the boil. I'm sure some of the herbs were mainly for bitterness while others were more for flavor and aroma. I guess part of this swap's purpose is to hone in on what works and what doesn't, but could you help provide a starting point?

 

[Bob]

Sadly, no. I have next to no practical experience with gruit. Many brewers have read Stephen Buhner's Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers with good results. As a source specifically relating to brewing, however, it is suspect; it is, after all, an herbal, not a brewing treatise. But it's a good starting point, IMO.

Bob