Prohibition Ingredients

[Bootlegger]

Hi all!
I'm new here, have never brewed beer, and need some help.

I have recently inherited my Great Grandfathers beer recipe. He was supposedly a bootlegger in Texas during prohibition. The recipe was given to my father from my Great Aunt, after my Great Uncle was diagnosed with Alzheimers. My Great Uncle and Grandfather helped my Great Grandfather brew the beer underground. The handwriting is very shaky; but, I have deciphered most of it. I think it is incomplete as there are no instructions for heating other than "warm water".

One of the ingredients I can't seem to figure out; and, it's not listed in the mixing instructions.
The cursive handwriting appears to say Budweiser "red", or "rid", or "recl", or "ricl", or maybe "rice" if a "c" and over-sized "e" were ran together. If the "r" was an "i" it could say "ied", or "iecl", or "iece".

This ingredient would most likely have been purchased at a grocery store, hardware store, or feed store in a centrally located, very small Texas town. My Great grandfather probably learned brewing in Illinois and would seek the ingredients he was familiar with. On the 1930 US Census my Great grandfather is listed as a "Carpenter" previously from "Illinois".

Many thanks to anyone that can help me figure this ingredient out.

 

[Lefou]

Budweiser. Rice.
You seem to have it covered. . Just add some good Pilsner barley malt in some "warm" water with the cooked rice and you're on your way.

 

[day_trippr]

Yup, rice for sure.
Pretty cool story, good luck bringing that recipe back to life

 

[brewshki]

any chance you could post a picture of the recipe? it would just be fun to see.

 

[Bootlegger]

any chance you could post a picture of the recipe? it would just be fun to see.

I really want to figure the recipe out before I share.

 

[bleme]

I really want to figure the recipe out before I share.

On the other hand, an experienced brewer will probably have a lot easier time reading/deciphering the actual writing than relying on " "red", or "rid", or "recl", or "ricl"". And it's not like the 1930's hold a big secret to creating beer nirvana. In general, bootleggers used the cheapest ingredients possible, with the goal to create something drinkable.

There are plenty of successful commercial brewers who will tell you exactly how to make their beer.

 

[brewshki]

I really want to figure the recipe out before I share.

I can respect that, but I also agree with the above that someone on here could probably help you really quickly.

 

[Bootlegger]

It's no secret for sure. This web post is basically my family recipe. Here is a picture of the recipe.
In hopes to purchase some Malt Extract, I contacted Premier Malt since they are the successor to "Blue-Ribbon". The lady that answered the phone told me "We don't sell Malt Extract". I replied, "It's listed on your website". She confirmed my story and told me she would pass my request on to a salesman. That a'int happening. Which product would be the closest match to the "Blue Ribbon" from my recipe? Does anyone know where to purchase Premier Malt Extract? Does anyone know of a suitable replacement?
They list:
Natural Hopped Flavor - Light (1kg) Code #70261-00002
Natural Hopped Flavor - Dark (1kg) Code #70261-00003
Natural Hopped Flavor - Pale Dry (1kg) Code #70261-00006
Natural Hopped Flavor - Extra Pale (1kg) Code #70261-00001
Natural Hopped Flavor - Plain (1kg) Code #70261-00004

 

[Metalhead_brewer]

Budweiser rice?
blue ribbon malt?
yellow corn?
8 lbs of sugar?

 

[Bootlegger]

Budweiser rice?
blue ribbon malt?
yellow corn?
8 lbs of sugar?

Budweiser rice? --- I guess so
Blue Ribbon Malt - Yellow Can
8lbs. Sugar

 

[bleme]

Budweiser rice?
blue ribbon malt?
yellow corn?
8 lbs of sugar?

I believe that is Blue Ribbon Malt, yellow can

Probably the closest substitute would be Coopers English Bitter canned extract.

I think the line above reads "Budweiser Red". You could sub this with Coopers Lager canned extract.

 

[6midgets]

with no hops and no other form of bittering, that recipe is gonna be super sweet

 

[jtratcliff]

didn't look like rice to me, either... and you can't really use rice by itself in an extract recipe....

I'd say that it's definitely 2 cans of malt extract... for a 10 gallon batch... The Budweiser red makes perfect sense. The red can is hopped, the yellow can is not hopped....

Mix with warm water and pitch yeast... no boil needed...


so that's 6lbs of malt extract & 8 lbs sugar in a 10g batch...

 

[Bootlegger]

didn't look like rice to me, either... and you can't really use rice by itself in an extract recipe....

I'd say that it's definitely 2 cans of malt extract... for a 10 gallon batch... The Budweiser red makes perfect sense. The red can is hopped, the yellow can is not hopped....

Mix with warm water and pitch yeast... no boil needed...


so that's 6lbs of malt extract & 8 lbs sugar in a 10g batch...

That's really good info. So what would be the 2017 substitute for these 2 extracts? My Great Uncle said the closest beeer "in taste"was Michelob. But, the home brew was better.

 

[z-bob]

• 10 gallons of pure water, no chlorine (would that even be a thing in 1930's?)
• Budweiser Red (don't know what that means, maybe they sold malt extract or rice syrup)
• Blue Ribbon malt, yellow can (I remember those, they were 3 pounds in the 1970's, not 2.2 like today)
• 2 flat (pat?) of yeast
• 8 pounds sugar

The malt syrup was available with or without hops. The yeast sounds to me like cakes of bread yeast.

Edit: while I was typing Bleme posted a picture of the Bud Red. It was definitely malt extract

 

[jtratcliff]

any malt extract would do... There are several different brands... Probably fewer choices for the pre-hopped variety but they are available... Do you have a home brew shop nearby? Stop by there, they may have all you need in stock..

If not, look at online homebrew stores like morebeer, northern brewer, or whichever big e-shop is closest to you. The big shops usually have more selection and lower prices but shipping often makes your local shop competitive for small orders.

But unless you want to boil and add hops yourself, you'll definitely want at least one can to be pre-hopped, or as @6midgets says, it'll be way too sweet.

You can even buy stuff off of amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GVSV3M8/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 but that's not usually the most economical option.

 

[Bootlegger]

I have a friend whose dad is still alive and brews beer. I'll ask him what he knows about the extracts.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Thanks for sharing about your family history, my two cents get hopped pils malt, bud is supposed to be a Pilsner lager. And, welcome to the forum.

 

[eric19312]

https://goo.gl/images/51947i

Budweiser Crystal White Syrup

 

[z-bob]

If you find hopped light malt extract (I think Cooper's and Munton's still make it), please don't make a whole 10 gallon recipe. The malt is hard to find and expensive, and beer made this way is terrible. It is worth making a small batch one time just to try it; kind of a history lesson

If I recall correctly, (the 60's were a long time ago) it was typically one (3 pound) can of Blue Ribbon hop-flavored light malt syrup and one syrup can of sugar, plus water to make 5 gallons. That's actually really close to your recipe divided by 2. Yours might have a little more sugar. The sugar is there because we were too poor to use 2 cans of malt.

The resulting beer was very "cidery" and would give you a headache far beyond what it should from the alcohol content. It was recognizable as beer. I never did figure out what causes the headache, maybe acetaldehyde?

 

[jtratcliff]

If you find hopped light malt extract (I think Cooper's and Munton's still make it), please don't make a whole 10 gallon recipe. The malt is hard to find and expensive, and beer made this way is terrible. It is worth making a small batch one time just to try it; kind of a history lesson

I agree with @z-bob ... don't do 10 Gallons!

typically pre-hopped extract batches aren't quite as good as doing the hops yourself... and this recipe is over 50% sugar...presumably sucrose (cane sugar) and not dextrose (corn sugar) but I don't know that it would make much difference. The primary affect of the sugar will be to boost the ABV without adding much flavor or body. Often too much sugar leads to "cidery" flavors as already mentioned.

So I wouldn't expect anything made with this recipe to taste all that great. It'll be beer. And it'll get you drunk. But won't be especially tasty.

You'd probably have better luck following a budweiser clone recipe such as this:

https://byo.com/mead/item/342-budweiser-clone

which is similar enough to yours but uses dry malt extract (DME) and honey instead of liquid malt extract (LME)... LME and DME can be swapped but not 1 to 1 (see How to Brew for the conversion)... It also calls for a boil with hops instead of using pre-hopped LME, which generally gives better results.

The ale yeast called for would be much superior to bread yeast as well. Even Saflager 34/70 would be a good choice for lager-like characteristics at warmer Ale fermention temperatures. I'm assuming you have no way to control fermentation temperatures...

 

[z-bob]

I would make the original recipe as close as you can get it, but scale it down to 3 gallons. That will work with a 2.2 pound can of malt extract the way it's sold now.

It will taste like poverty, but that's not altogether a bad thing I think that's why old people like things like lutefisk (look it up if you don't know.) It reminds them of the "good old days"

 

[jtratcliff]

It will taste like poverty

Ha! I like it!

 

[NTexBrewer]

Couple links

https://byo.com/malt/item/839-homebrewing-during-prohibition

http://www.instructables.com/id/Save-Money-Make-Beer-Prohibition-Style/

 

[Bootlegger]

If you find hopped light malt extract (I think Cooper's and Munton's still make it), please don't make a whole 10 gallon recipe. The malt is hard to find and expensive, and beer made this way is terrible. It is worth making a small batch one time just to try it; kind of a history lesson

If I recall correctly, (the 60's were a long time ago) it was typically one (3 pound) can of Blue Ribbon hop-flavored light malt syrup and one syrup can of sugar, plus water to make 5 gallons. That's actually really close to your recipe divided by 2. Yours might have a little more sugar. The sugar is there because we were too poor to use 2 cans of malt.

The resulting beer was very "cidery" and would give you a headache far beyond what it should from the alcohol content. It was recognizable as beer. I never did figure out what causes the headache, maybe acetaldehyde?

This is good advice. Fortunately, I had no intention of making 10 gallons. Probably, 4 gal. in a 5 gal bucket.

Taste is relative. I'm not saying your wrong, but, it's your opinion. Fact, home brews developed a bad reputation for taste during prohibition. My great uncle said their brew tasted like Michelob.

As for headaches, Anheuser-Bush products have always given me a headache. I hope my home brew doesn't.

I need to find the closest match to these prohibition malted extracts. I believe both were hopped. However, I'm disappointed the exact ingredients can't be obtained anymore.

 

[z-bob]

Premier supposedly still makes Blue Ribbon malt extract with hops. It's sold in 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) cans now, but one can would be about right for a 3.5 or 4 gallon batch. I haven't seen the stuff in years, and their web site isn't much help finding it. Good luck.

 

[bleme]

Premier supposedly still makes Blue Ribbon malt extract with hops. It's sold in 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) cans now, but one can would be about right for a 3.5 or 4 gallon batch. I haven't seen the stuff in years, and their web site isn't much help finding it. Good luck.

I could only find one online retailer who carried it, and they showed it all out of stock which leads me to believe it has probably been discontinued.

 

[Bootlegger]

Premier supposedly still makes Blue Ribbon malt extract with hops. It's sold in 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) cans now, but one can would be about right for a 3.5 or 4 gallon batch. I haven't seen the stuff in years, and their web site isn't much help finding it. Good luck.

No response from Premier

Thanks everyone, y'all are posting before I can finish a "reply". So my replies are somewhat out of order. Awesome!

I'm thinking about mixing Coopers English Bitter canned extract & Coopers Lager canned extract as per @bleme. I haven't done the math on the ratios needed.
Does anyone know if the 2017 Extracts are the same concentration as the 1930's?

 

[azmark]

https://www.homebrewing.org/Muntons-Premium-Lager-Extract-Kit_p_4927.html
Just add water and sugar or light dme.

 

[Stealthcruiser]

I'm assuming you have no way to control fermentation temperatures...

Just like Grandpa!