Ale was quite simple to make, from malted oats or barley and water, but several large pans, ladles forks and a kiln (for the malting), together with a place to set them out. The whole process, from start to finish, took several days. A large quantity could be produced by brewing a very weak ale, but ale did not keep for more than a few days due to the lack of preservatives. As a result, it was customary to set up an informal rotation system, whereby one woman brewed a batch of ale and sold the surplus not needed by her family to neighbours, who in turn brewed and sold their own supply in due course (Henisch, p69)
During the time period for this team, ale was the common drink of all classes. Our most direct evidence of domestic brewing comes from elite households. In 1333--34, the household of Elizabeth de Burgh, Lady of Clare, brewed about 8 quarters of barley and dredge each week, each quarter yielding about 60 gallons of ale. Brewing varied by the season of the year, with vast amounts produced in December (when more than 3,500 gallons were brewed) and quite restricted production in February (only 810 gallons). The members of the Clare household drank strong ale throughout the year, imbibing with particular gusto during the celebrations of Christmas and the New Year (Bennett, p18).
In the case of the household of Humphrey Stafford, Duke of Buckingham in 1452-53, over 40,000 gallons of ale were consumed in one year. The monks of Westminster used about 80,000 gallons per year, so large areas were needed to carry out the brewing. The malt-house in Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire has a steeping vessel of 18 feet in diameter which would have been capable of dealing with 20 quarters of barley every 10-12 days, which made at least 60 barrels of strong ale (Hammond, p54).
During the time period for this team, ale was the common drink of all classes. Our most direct evidence of domestic brewing comes from elite households. In 1333--34, the household of Elizabeth de Burgh, Lady of Clare, brewed about 8 quarters of barley and dredge each week, each quarter yielding about 60 gallons of ale. Brewing varied by the season of the year, with vast amounts produced in December (when more than 3,500 gallons were brewed) and quite restricted production in February (only 810 gallons). The members of the Clare household drank strong ale throughout the year, imbibing with particular gusto during the celebrations of Christmas and the New Year (Bennett, p18).
In the case of the household of Humphrey Stafford, Duke of Buckingham in 1452-53, over 40,000 gallons of ale were consumed in one year. The monks of Westminster used about 80,000 gallons per year, so large areas were needed to carry out the brewing. The malt-house in Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire has a steeping vessel of 18 feet in diameter which would have been capable of dealing with 20 quarters of barley every 10-12 days, which made at least 60 barrels of strong ale (Hammond, p54).
Production of Ale
There are a number of sources which contain the essential process for the production of ale (which is discussed in more detail below). First the barley was malted (allowed to germinate), heated to stop growth and then roasted. By this process, all of the starch of the grain was converted to soluble starches and also created a pleasant flavour. Once germinated, the rootlets were removed and the malted barley crushed and then heated with water (not boiled). This extracted the soluble starches which were converted by enzymes to soluble sugars. The mixture was cooled and yeast added which caused fermentation into ale.
By tradition, only barley water and yeast were allowed to be used in the production of ale. The yeast was obtained from the previous brewing or from other brewers. It was sometimes sold to bakers who needed it and regulations were implemented that the price should not be excessive since it was an essential item (see below regarding the Assizes on Bread and Ale). The water was obtained from the nearest river or other potable source. It was necessary to have rather pure water and in London the brewers frequently used the various conduits being in drinking water, annoying the other users. Hammond notes that in 1345, brewers were forbidden to use the water from the conduit in the Chepe because it was meant for ‘rich and middling persons’ to use for preparing their food. This restriction was repeated in other towns. (Hammond, p )
Ale was brewed predominantly by women, either for consumption in the home or for sale in alehouses. In the 15th century, Fleet St was tenanted largely by ale-wives. The small scale of medieval ale houses was largely due to the deterioration rate for ale, which meant that it was best consumed where it was brewed. (Hammond, p52-54).
However, with the introduction of hops, small scale ale production was replaced with larger scale beer production, possibly due to the more complicated brewing process which hops required which made the process too complicated for the small home brewer. According to Hammond, the first mention of beer in London records was in 1391, with a reference to hoppyngebeer in the City of London Letter Books (which was a price regulation) (Hammond, p86). Beer had been imported for many years and seems by the beginning of the 15th century, in the south of England at least, to have developed a sizeable brewing industry within England in its own right. Brown refers to the size and scale of the Southhampton beer industry in the mid-late 16th century and its replacement of the ale industry.
By tradition, only barley water and yeast were allowed to be used in the production of ale. The yeast was obtained from the previous brewing or from other brewers. It was sometimes sold to bakers who needed it and regulations were implemented that the price should not be excessive since it was an essential item (see below regarding the Assizes on Bread and Ale). The water was obtained from the nearest river or other potable source. It was necessary to have rather pure water and in London the brewers frequently used the various conduits being in drinking water, annoying the other users. Hammond notes that in 1345, brewers were forbidden to use the water from the conduit in the Chepe because it was meant for ‘rich and middling persons’ to use for preparing their food. This restriction was repeated in other towns. (Hammond, p )
Ale was brewed predominantly by women, either for consumption in the home or for sale in alehouses. In the 15th century, Fleet St was tenanted largely by ale-wives. The small scale of medieval ale houses was largely due to the deterioration rate for ale, which meant that it was best consumed where it was brewed. (Hammond, p52-54).
However, with the introduction of hops, small scale ale production was replaced with larger scale beer production, possibly due to the more complicated brewing process which hops required which made the process too complicated for the small home brewer. According to Hammond, the first mention of beer in London records was in 1391, with a reference to hoppyngebeer in the City of London Letter Books (which was a price regulation) (Hammond, p86). Beer had been imported for many years and seems by the beginning of the 15th century, in the south of England at least, to have developed a sizeable brewing industry within England in its own right. Brown refers to the size and scale of the Southhampton beer industry in the mid-late 16th century and its replacement of the ale industry.
To make an Ale of Barley
With the assistance of brewer Master Drake (as none of us had made beer or ale before this Challenge), the Three Amigos (ole!) made their own ale.
http://www.diningwiththekhan.com/beer-recipe-for-pentathlon-group.html
Specifications
Most of the equipment required to do this on a regular basis is tailored to brewing and is not easily available to the once-off brewer – an example of this is the "mash tun", which is generally a large insulated tub with a perforated false bottom allowing the liquid to be drained and leaving the grain in the tub.
We used a number of alternatives to make the ale for this challenge - we constructed two grain bags made from boiled open weave linen to allow liquid flow and the the grain to steep. Two spice bags were made to hold the additional spice mix and strain with out leaving bits behind. We used a cardboard box lined with a blanket to keep the steeping pot at close to the right temperature for an hour. As we only had 15 litre pots, we redacted the recipe just over 21 litres. We made the batch in two pots, rotating the process, so there was only an hour between when both batches where ready for cooling. We also used a lager modern fermenter with taps and air locks
To Adjust Canberra Water to London Levels:
One of the things Master Drake did advise was that the water in Canberra is quite different to the water in England in 13th century northern England. So we sent him a copy of the water chemical breakdown which can be found on the ACTEW water site (http://www.actew.com.au/~/media/Files/ACTEW/Key%20Publications/Annual%20Drinking%20Water%20Quality%20Report%202011-12.ashx) . He advised that to make the water similar to that in London in the 13th century, we needed to make the following chemical adjustments to the water we used:
Making the Ale
The process followed the following stages:
http://www.diningwiththekhan.com/beer-recipe-for-pentathlon-group.html
Specifications
- Boil Size: 21.83 litres
- Post Boil Volume: 16.46 litres
- Batch Size (fermenter): 12.00 litres
- Bottling Volume: 10.30 litres
- Estimated OG: 1.092 SG
- Estimated Colour: 27.2 EBC
- Estimated IBU: 19.8 IBUs
- Brewhouse Efficiency: 70.00 %
- Est Mash Efficiency: 92.3 %
- Boil Time: 60 Minutes
Most of the equipment required to do this on a regular basis is tailored to brewing and is not easily available to the once-off brewer – an example of this is the "mash tun", which is generally a large insulated tub with a perforated false bottom allowing the liquid to be drained and leaving the grain in the tub.
We used a number of alternatives to make the ale for this challenge - we constructed two grain bags made from boiled open weave linen to allow liquid flow and the the grain to steep. Two spice bags were made to hold the additional spice mix and strain with out leaving bits behind. We used a cardboard box lined with a blanket to keep the steeping pot at close to the right temperature for an hour. As we only had 15 litre pots, we redacted the recipe just over 21 litres. We made the batch in two pots, rotating the process, so there was only an hour between when both batches where ready for cooling. We also used a lager modern fermenter with taps and air locks
To Adjust Canberra Water to London Levels:
One of the things Master Drake did advise was that the water in Canberra is quite different to the water in England in 13th century northern England. So we sent him a copy of the water chemical breakdown which can be found on the ACTEW water site (http://www.actew.com.au/~/media/Files/ACTEW/Key%20Publications/Annual%20Drinking%20Water%20Quality%20Report%202011-12.ashx) . He advised that to make the water similar to that in London in the 13th century, we needed to make the following chemical adjustments to the water we used:
- 2.3g CaSO4 (Gypsum)
- 2.5g NaCl (Salt)
- Whole mace (8 pieces)
- Whole nutmeg (8)
- Rosemary (8 stripped stalks)
- Cinnamon (4 quills)
Making the Ale
The process followed the following stages:
- Add the gypsum and salt to the water and bring to 72 degrees
- Remove from heat and allow to settle to 66 degrees
- Place in insulated box
- Add the grain bag slowly to prevent any water displacement overflow
- Cover and allow to steep for one hour
- Return pot to heat and bring to the boil add one spice bag and allow to boil for an hour
- The aroma was quite sweet and enticing and we noted a scummy top forming then dissipating. The end liquid was clear and quite palatable.
- Pour into fermenter and repeat for the other half quantity.
- Added second batch to first and sealed
- Allowed to cool over night added the yeast and allowed to ferment for 4 weeks.
- Bottled.