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Scuff
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Early beer
In the words of Will Rodgers, "Prohibition is better than no liquor at all."
Came acrosss some interesting arcana about beer making during the time of prohibition. Seems homebrew was a simpler thing than it is now and wasn't concerned with hop pedigrees or organics and malt strains. It was more about function than form. Well, yeah, buddy. Many early recipes included only a "large can of hop flavored malt syrup, a few scoops of granulated sugar, water and a cake of yeast. The mixture was covered and left until the obvious signs of fermentation has ceased. The beer was siphoned off into another large container, another quarter pound of granulated sugar added, and the beer was quickly bottled. Nothing fancy, but in 10 days, the beer was ready to drink." Bottling was a largely sketchy affair due to uncontrolled carbonation, and bottles could go off at any time.
Here's a worthy little ditty that was popular in the 1920's, in Montana, which never ratified the 18th Amendment:
"Mother's in the kitchen, washin' out the jugs;
Sister's in the pantry, bottlin' up the suds;
Father's in the cellar, mixing up the hops;
Johnny's on the front porch, watching for the cops."
Just thought I'd share it with you'uns.
Last edited by Scuff, 2/2/2009, 17:23
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2/2/2009, 17:22
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TheTumblingTumbleweed
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Re: Early beer
I remember drinking some homebrew at Memorial Stadium during July when I was 15-16... We would go in and drink our faces off ecause they never carded and only actually asked us for money every 3rd trip or so. Those were the days of pre-poured beer sitting on the counter waiting for ya. If there was a line, why you merely walked on out of the line... looking for cops, of course. But I digress.
On this one particular July evening, we sat just behind a group of 20-somethings who had made some homebrew, put it in a 2 gallon glass jug, and come to the game. I was the adventurous one so once I saw them swiggin' it back, when asked to try I said, "**** yeah." Good stuff actually. Had a good old-timey beer flavor, with nice, tiny bubbles.
I'd love to try it sometime.
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2/3/2009, 0:56
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Scuff
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Re: Early beer
That's likely where your taste for the tiny bubbles came from.
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2/3/2009, 12:42
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RosesonYourGrave
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Re: Early beer
Used to go with my Dad to visit a friend of his named Nelson in Southern Illinois. He lived about 3/4 of a mile off the state highway and there wasn't any road back there, you walked and carried what you needed with you. He was a real backwoods fellow, he trapped, he netted fish (when I say netted, he placed his gill net all the way across the river!), hunted all the time (no season for him) and he made homebrew.
After bottling up his brew, he would place it in the corner of the kitchen and cover it with a quilt. I remember sitting there at the table after a meal of quail, squirrel and gravy or rabbit, playing cards and every once in a while, a bottle of the homebrew blowing up, thus the need for the quilt.
Nelson was a real throwback, lived on practically nothing.
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2/3/2009, 19:09
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TheTumblingTumbleweed
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Re: Early beer
If I hadn't met the boss, I was on my way to Nelson-ville. Sounds like a good life. I used to watch my friends dad bottle beer in his basement. We've talked about doing it for a couple years. I think we're going to give it the college try this year. Can't keep puttin' it off.
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2/3/2009, 21:43
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Scuff
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Re: Early beer
Well, don't let your fine old memories cloud the fact that homebrew can easily taste like dishwater. You ain't gonna brew up some Dogfish Head that tastes like anything but a dogfishes head.
I got a kit I'm gonna use. And I sure wish I knew that Nelson fella. I shoot flintlocks and I can just imagine his skills.
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2/4/2009, 11:16
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TheTumblingTumbleweed
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Re: Early beer
Always so negative.
I just want to learn the craft.
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2/4/2009, 12:11
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RosesonYourGrave
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Re: Early beer
Jimmy, one of the I.T. guys here at work brews some pretty tasty dark ale. He just built a kegerator and brews five gallons at a time. He's been at it a couple of years now.
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Mayor Ray Nagin
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2/4/2009, 12:53
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Scuff
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Re: Early beer
I prefer to think of myself as a realist. I wouldn't mind learning it, either.
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2/4/2009, 16:02
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