evildrakey
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- Joined
- 12/12/11
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I started with a quote from Ale, Beer, and Brewsters in England, Women's Work in a Changing World, 1300-1600 by Judith M. Bennett
"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, p. 18]"
Dredge is a mix of Oats and Barley. So I've done this twice. One with hops (as a medieval Beer) and Once without hops (as a Medieval Ale). Without the hops, the beer advances in sourness with age.
Grain:
4Kg Thomas Fawcett's Maris Otter,
1 Kg of Simpsons Naked Golden Oats,
0.5Kg Weyermann Caramunich II.
Hops:
40g Challenger Hop (60min),
20g Challenger Hop (10min),
20g Challenger Hop (10min).
Water: I used a water with a little Calcium Sulphate added but boiled with a large amount of calcium carbonate and a touch of citric acid in attempt to harden the water to levels seen in the River Stour (511 mg/l as calcium carbonate)
Yeast: London ESB Ale Wyeast #1968
Mash: I used the standard English Ale Mash profile (Full Body) with an extended 30min Beta-Glucanase rest.
Wood: I use the No-chill cube method so to add a level of oak/wood in there, I've added 50g of Toasted French Oak in with the cube for a couple of weeks in the latest batch.
Smoke: Medieval beers would have been done over open flame sources, usually wood (sometimes coal in late medieval england/germany) so I often swap a half kilo of pale malt out for a smoked malt, usually oak or beech, but not this time...
"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, p. 18]"
Dredge is a mix of Oats and Barley. So I've done this twice. One with hops (as a medieval Beer) and Once without hops (as a Medieval Ale). Without the hops, the beer advances in sourness with age.
Grain:
4Kg Thomas Fawcett's Maris Otter,
1 Kg of Simpsons Naked Golden Oats,
0.5Kg Weyermann Caramunich II.
Hops:
40g Challenger Hop (60min),
20g Challenger Hop (10min),
20g Challenger Hop (10min).
Water: I used a water with a little Calcium Sulphate added but boiled with a large amount of calcium carbonate and a touch of citric acid in attempt to harden the water to levels seen in the River Stour (511 mg/l as calcium carbonate)
Yeast: London ESB Ale Wyeast #1968
Mash: I used the standard English Ale Mash profile (Full Body) with an extended 30min Beta-Glucanase rest.
Wood: I use the No-chill cube method so to add a level of oak/wood in there, I've added 50g of Toasted French Oak in with the cube for a couple of weeks in the latest batch.
Smoke: Medieval beers would have been done over open flame sources, usually wood (sometimes coal in late medieval england/germany) so I often swap a half kilo of pale malt out for a smoked malt, usually oak or beech, but not this time...
