Never hear of Leichtbier before I read this article:
https://beerandbrewing.com/make-your-best-german-leichtbier/
So I brewed it in the spring and have it on tap now for the summer heat.
Its OK, nice for the summer but not sure if I'll brew it again.
Another unusual brew is Swankey, which some say is a historical beer from here in Pennsylvania, USA, but others say it was originally from Cornwall and then migrated to the US and Australia. There are a multitude of versions with different spices and herbs.
Haven't tried this yet, but I'd probably tweak it to suit my taste, reducing the hops ( I have old homegrown hops) subbing out honey for the sugar, using an Irish ale yeast and some yeast nutrient. Using honey should be somewhat historically accurate, the old timers used what they had.
Source:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/articl...tory-and-surprising-diaspora-of-a-lost-style/
A Swanky Homebrew
We created this recipe by comparing ingredient lists from Jan Gluyas, Roslyn Paterson and Oswald Pryor, omitting anything that did not appear in more than one list. That meant leaving out malt, wheat and salt, and using only sugar, ginger, raisins and hops. We decided on white sugar because, though brown sugar might seem more rustically authentic, refined white “loaf sugar” was actually the most commonly available variety in the 19th century. Various country beer and wine recipes in archival recipe books helped us come up with the method.
2.5 gallons (11 L) water
2 lb. (1 kg) white sugar
4 oz (100 g) ground ginger
2 oz (60 g) raisins
4 oz (100 g) old or stale hops (such as East Kent Goldings)
2 oz (60 g) fresh baker’s yeast
Boil everything together for 45 minutes. Allow it to cool completely before transferring to a fermenting vessel and adding the yeast. After about 48 hours, decant into 750 mL Champagne-style bottles, add a bruised raisin to each, and, using standard corks, seal loosely. After a few days, the corks will begin to work loose, at which point, it’s ready to drink.
This is a homebrew in the true sense of the word, so don’t get worked up about temperatures, equipment, specific ingredients or process—imagine yourself thousands of miles from home and improvise with what you have at hand. The batch we brewed on Saint Piran’s Day, the national day of Cornwall, was ready to drink less than a week later and sat somewhere between true beer and a soft drink: fizzy and refreshing, with a powerful herbal dryness from the hops which set it apart from straight-up ginger beer. It was perhaps a touch bitter. Next time we’ll use 60 grams (about 2 oz) of hops. It won’t keep long, so if you brew some, have a party. ■
