Thanks to shiveringjemmy over on reddit for posting this fascinating look at a brewing notebook/journal belonging to Thomas Benson in the Benson family fonds. Thomas Benson was a businessman and the first mayor of Peterborough, Ontario.
A Transcription of these pages can be found at the bottom.
A Transcription of these pages can be found at the bottom.
To Brew Five Gallons Strong Beer
Take Three ounces of Hops, and rub them well into a close vessel sprinkling on them, when rubbed, about a teaspoon-full of salt, then pour on boiling water sufficient to saturate them and cover close.
Boil Two and a half Gallons Water, dash the boil with cold water and suffer it to cool down to 180° Faht. Pour it into your Mash-tub, and put in a peck of good Malt. Mash it well till the malt is thoroughly wetted, and allow it to stand close covered about two hours, then run the liquor off into a vessel prepared to receive it, having first of all placed a whisp of clean hay or straw over the hole in your Mash-tub to prevent the Malt running off with the liquor. If at first the liquor should run off thick or discoloured pour back until it runs clear. Mash the second time in the same quantity of water at 190° and let it stand covered two hours.
Get up your first wort into the boiler and add the Hops, a quarter of a pound of liquorice root (previously bruised), ¼ ounce Capsicum, a bit of Cinnamon, and three ounces Treacle. Boil smartly for an hour, then run off into a cooler, carefully straining out the hops to be boiled in the second wort, which must also be boiled an hour. Observe that your malt must not stand dry between the mashings but must be Kept constantly moist by lading the liquor over it. Run off the second liquor into the cooler, and cool down as quickly as possible to 65° then run it into the tun as quick as you can so that it shall suffer no diminuation of heat, and add sufficient yeast to cause fermentation. Let it work till it comes to a good deep head and has attenuated about 8°, then cleanse it by adding about a quarter ounce of ginger and rousing it well.
The liquor is now fit for putting into the Keg, which must be done carefully. The Keg must be quite full to let the yeast work over, adding fresh liquor to Keep it full till it has done working, then bung it up close but take care to watch it well lest it should begin to work again and burst the Keg, which may be prevented by easing the keg. The only thing that now remains is to fine the beer. Finings are made by dissolving Ising-glass in the Stale Beer till it acquire a thin gluey consistency like sire, the beer in which the ising-glass is dissolved must be quite stale and very clear. Add a sufficient quantity of this to clear your beer a gill will sometimes be sufficient but it may require more.
