Imagine
that you are one of the 103 men and boys that came to colonize the New World. You are surrounded by plants, animals, and people
that are foreign to you. One thing looks
familiar to you though, and that is the water.
As a European, the water scares you, rightfully so, as millions in
Europe have died of water related diseases.
So what do you drink if you don’t drink the water? The answer, some will be glad to know, was
beer.
Beer history goes back to Mesopotamia
where the first beer is believed to have been brewed. The first brews consisted of only grain,
water, and yeast. These beers gained
popularity, since not only did they quench thirst, but also provided some
nutrition. This beverage traveled to
every country surrounding Mesopotamia.
With the rise of the Roman Empire, the beverage traveled even farther
through Northern Europe (Germany, Bolivia, and Belgium). It was here in Northern Europe that the final
ingredient, hops, was added to the original three ingredient beverage. This is
a popular ingredient know because it is what counterbalances the sweetness of
the beer. The 17th Century brings
about an appetite for hopped beer in Europe that has continued to this
day. It is this appetite for beer that
travels with settlers to America.
In America, alcohol became the
common everyday drink. It was consumed by all people including children, from
the time they got up to when they went to bed at night. This led to a whopping total consumption of
35 gallons of beer per capita in 1790. Today
we consider all alcohol to be the same.
Back then, however, they made a huge distinction between fermented
beverages and distilled spirits. It was taught,
for instance that fermented beverages were health giving and increased
wisdom. Distilled beverages, however,
were thought to lead to swearing, obscenity and anarchy.
The following table shows the
methods of both 18th century brewers and modern brewers.
What has to be done
|
18th Century
|
Modern
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The first step in
brewing is to heat your water to above 150°F.
150°F is the optimal temperature for extracting sugar from the grains but with heat loss from the transfer and also from adding the water to cool grains. The temperature of the water before adding to the grains is known as strike temperature.
|
In the 18th
Century Home:
They would have
used the large copper pot that was also used for laundry. In the 18th century strike temperatures are higher because of the wood tubs used to hold the mash. These tubs do not hold heat in very well. So in an attempt to keep the temperature as close as possible to 150°, the water in that time period was heated to 180°F. Along with a method called capping which meant a thin layer of malt was sprinkled along the top of the mash, kept the temperature at 150°F pretty efficiently.
At the 18th
Century Commercial Brewery:
They would have
used huge copper pots mounted into a brick fixture.
 |
Modern
Home Brewers:
If
you are brewing at home, you can simply use a stainless steel pot on your
home cooktop.
Modern
Commercial Brewers:
Today
commercial brewers use tankless water heaters.
|
The hot water is then mixed with the malted grain to create what is
known as mash. The mash has to sit at
150°F, or as close to it as possible, for an hour.
|
Both the 18th century commercial and home brewers had no
real way of controlling the temperature.
However, the wood tubs they used, kept the mash close to the optimal
temperature for the hour it needs to steep.
   |
The Modern Home Brewer:
Today you mix the water and grains in a cooler. This insulates the
mash at 150°F or close to it.
The Modern Commercial Brewer: Modern brewers have steam jacketed mash
tuns to store the mash at an exact 150°F for an hour.
|
The next step is to strain the wort from the grains.
|
In the 18th Century Home:
They would have used a metal or horsehair sieve to strain the grains
from the wort.
The 18th Century Commercial Brewer: The commercial brewer would have used a
screen or mesh like device over the spout that transferred the wort to the
boiler.
|
The Modern Home Brewer:
The home brewer today has numerous screens and sieves from which to
choose. Also, some home brewers steep
the grains in muslin bags.
The Modern Commercial Brewer:
The commercial brewer uses a screen over the pipe that drains the
wort to the second boiler.
|
The wort is now boiled again to concentrate the sugar content of the
wort. The hops are also added at this
point.
|
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The wort is now strained for the final time.
|
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At this point in the brewing, you want to cool down the wort. The goal, at least today, is to cool it
down as quickly as possible so no bacteria get into it.
|
The 18th century housewife would not have an elaborate
system for cooling her wort so she would have to make due with letting it
cool naturally, while stirring it occasionally.
The Commercial Brewer had big lead lined pools called cool ships. The wort would be poured into these pools
and cooled within 20 to 30 minutes.
 |
The Home Brewer and Commercial Brewers both have multiple options for cooling the wort down. One form is what is known as an immersion chiller. This is a copper pipe in a spiral. This is
lowered into the warm wort. Cold water
is run through these pipes which cools the wort off quickly. There are two other possible cooling systems, the plate chiller or the counter flow chiller.
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The final step is turning the wort into beer. This is achieved by adding yeast to the
wort.
|
In the 18th century this would have been done in some form
of wooden tub or barrel. A way for the
gas to escape is crucial or the barrel could explode.
|
Today home brewers have glass, metal or plastic fermenters.
Commercial brewers have huge stainless steel fermenters that can hold
thousands of gallons at a time.
|
It is important to know that in the 18th century this process is done 3 times using the same grain, producing a weaker beer each time. Today the grains are used once along with a quick wash to get all of the sugars off.
The pictures for the chart where taken during the Colonial Williamsburg program "The Art and Mysteries of Brewing". For more information about this program please visit www.history.org. The other two pictures of a commercial brewery operation at Lacock Abbey in England came from http://dpnow.com/forum2/showthread.php?t=15079
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