July 2008
“News About Brews”
|
July 2008
“News About Brews”
|
|
| Let's Keep It Clean, GuysFor June's meeting we had a discussion on sanitation and cleanliness in brewing. It was a round table kinda thing where we had an open discussion about sanitation in general and about the different techniques and chemicals that each of us uses in our own home brewery.
I thought that this type of discussion worked out very well for the meeting topic. Everyone could be involved and the discussion evolved based on the questions asked. I'd be happy to see us have more topics like that occasionally. And seeing as the Steering Meeting is next month, maybe we can plan one.
Speaking of the Steering Meeting, don't forget that this is an open meeting for all club members. It's the right time to offer suggestions on what the club should do over the next year, in terms of calendars and events. It's also the time to get nominated for a position in the club, if you have interest. So if you want to have a voice in the club then don't miss it. Oh, and it doesn't hurt that it's at the British Beer Company in Walpole, which has a fantastic beer and food menu. Show up around 6:30 if you want to eat before the meeting. We've got the upstairs section reserved.
Brew On! Jimmy B
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Index////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
At A Glance…
Things You May Want To Know, Or Not /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Sip by Sip
Minutes of the Previous Meeting ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Date: July 8th, 2008 Location: Brian Shurtleff's, Norton MA Number of Members Attending: 15
Business
Sanitation Round Table
All members present took part in an open discussion about techniques and chemicals used in cleaning and sanitation. Questions were answered and topics were raised, with everyone able to give input. Bill started us out with a general explanation of sanitation, to get the ball rolling.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Recipe of the Month//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Warsteiner Pilsner Clone3rd Place winner in April Pilsner Club Competition from: Brian Kurowski
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// It’s
All in the De-t-Ales…
Articles,
Reviews and Information ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Contents:
by Steve Gravel
Porter - History of Beer
Porter became the fad of the day in the 1700’s around jolly old England. It initially gained popularity among the transport workers in Central London, those brawny common folks who would endure hard labor with no more than a few pints of porter and a few pounds of bread per day. The endurance of the laboring class did not go without recognition, and before long, porter gained credit as the catalyst for this endurance. As a result, the well-bred and distinguished citizens embraced this beverage as well, igniting an explosion within the brewing industry. Porter became so popular, in fact, that brewers who could adapt to a grand scale were able to make comfortable fortunes producing this one style of beer.
In 1802, a writer named John Feltham wrote a version of the history of porter that has been used as the basis for most writings on the topic. Unfortunately, very little of Feltham's story is backed up by contemporary evidence. His account is based upon a letter written by Obadiah Poundage (who had worked for decades in the London brewing trade) in the 1760s. Unfortunately, Feltham badly misinterpreted parts of the text, mainly due to his unfamiliarity with 18th century brewing terminology. Feltham claimed that in 18th century London a popular beverage called "three threads" was made consisting of a third of a pint each of ale, beer and twopenny (the strongest beer, costing tuppence a quart). About 1730, Feltham said, a brewer called Harwood made a single beer called Entire which recreated the flavour of "three threads", and which became known as "porter".
Another belief is that Entire was also a name for the combination of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd runnings of a mash. In 1700 London, the brewers practice was to conduct an initial mash at 150°, drain the wort, mash again at 160°, drain again and mash for the third time at 180°. Typically the three separate runnings would be sold separately as “Ale”, “Beer” and “Twopenny”. Entire was thought to be a combination of the three runnings, hence the “Entire” beer.
Porter is actually mentioned as early as 1721, but no writer before Feltham says it was made to replicate "three threads". Instead, it seems to be a more-aged development of the brown beers already being made in London. Before 1700, London brewers sent out their beer very young and any aging was either performed by the publican or a dealer. Porter was the first beer to be aged at the brewery and dispatched in a condition fit to be drunk immediately. It was the first beer that could be made on any large scale. Early London Porters were strong beers by modern standards. Early trials with the hydrometer in the 1770s recorded Porter as having an OG (original gravity) of 1.071° and 6.6% ABV. Increased taxation during the Napoleonic War pushed its gravity down to around 1.055°, where it remained for the rest of the 19th century. The huge popularity of the style prompted brewers to produce Porters in a wide variety of strengths. These started with Single Stout Porter at around 1.066°, Double Stout Porter (such as Guinness) at 1.072°, Triple Stout Porter at 1.078° and Imperial Stout Porter at 1.095° and more. As the 19th century progressed the Porter suffix was gradually dropped. British brewers, however, continued to use Porter as the generic term for both Porters and Stouts.
The large London Porter breweries pioneered many technological advances, such as the use of the thermometer (about 1760) and the hydrometer (1770). The use of the latter was to transform the nature of Porter. The first Porters were brewed from 100% Brown Malt. Now brewers were able to accurately measure the yield of the malt they used, it was noticed that Brown Malt, though cheaper than Pale Malt, only produced about two thirds as much fermentable material. When the malt tax was increased to help pay for the Napoleonic War, brewers had an incentive to use less malt. Their solution was to use a proportion of Pale Malt and add coloring to obtain the expected hue. When a law was passed in 1816 allowing only malt and hops to be used in the production of beer (a sort of British Reinheitsgebot) they were left in a quandary. Their problem was solved by Wheeler's invention of the almost black patent malt in 1817. It was now possible to brew Porter from 95% Pale Malt and 5% patent malt, though most London brewers continued to use some Brown Malt for flavor.
Until about 1800, all London Porter was matured in large vats (often holding several hundred barrels) for between six and eighteen months before being racked into smaller casks to be delivered to pubs. It was discovered that it was unnecessary to age all Porter. A small quantity of highly aged beer (18 months or more) mixed with fresh or "mild" Porter produced a flavor similar to that of aged beer. It was a cheaper method of producing Porter, as less beer needed to be stored for long periods. The normal blend was around two parts young beer to one part old.
October of 1814 went down in history for an event that crushed the dreams of scores of London porter lovers. One of the most grandiose vats (860,000 gallons) at the Meux Brewery gave way, sending a tsunami of porter through the streets. Homes crushed like toothpicks under the force of the brew. A human being didn’t stand a chance! In fact, eight folks lost their lives in the debacle, through drowning, drunken poisoning, or injuries beyond the limitations of the medical community of the time.
After 1860, as the popularity of both Porter and the aged taste began to wane, Porter was increasingly sold "mild". In the final decades of the century many breweries discontinued their Porter, though continued to brew one or two stouts. Those which did still persist with Porter brewed it weaker and with fewer hops. Between 1860 and 1914 the gravity dropped from 1.055° to 1.040° and the hopping rate from two pounds to one pound per 36 gallon barrel. It was a mere shadow of the beer which had once been so respected and admired.
During the First World War in Britain, shortages of grain led to restrictions on the production of strong beer. Less strict rules were applied in Ireland allowing Irish brewers such as Guinness to take advantage and dominate the bottled Stout market. However, most English breweries continued to brew draught stouts until Second World War and beyond. They were considerably weaker than the pre-war versions (down from 1.055º-1.060° to 1.040-1.042°) and around the strength that Porter had been in 1914. Porter, with its strength slot now occupied by Single Stout, slowly withered away. The last English Porters were brewed around 1940.
Beer
|
Contact InformationIf there are any updates or changes to the information posted here, please contact:
Last modified: July 19, 2008 |
