Cross Creek Courier Another Seabreeze Publication
VOL. 40 NO. 8
www.seabreezecommunications.com
AUGUST 2024
Ale Tales And Lager Lore By Diane Bothfeld, Certified Cicerone® Dr. Susan Flavin is the lead researcher on a project to determine the calorie content and alcohol level of beer in the 16th century. She is an Associate Professor of History at Trinity College Dublin and her research concentrates on Early Modern Britain and Ireland especially trade, consumption and material culture. The project took five years to complete and was completed through a grant from European Research Council funding a wider project called Food-Cult. Beer was a big part of medieval life with people drinking beer because water was suspect and could make people sick. In England and Ireland, beer was divided into three categories – strong beer, ordinary or household beer, and small beer. Drinking to quench one’s thirst was distinguished from drinking to just get drunk, but just how drunk were medieval people? Other researchers have determined through records of large households, that five to seven pints of beer were consumed each day by household staff, the occupants of the house and any outside laborers. One theory was that ale and beer were very weak in alcohol content. At that time, ale contained hops and beer did not. It was also thought that beer was part of the caloric intake for people – more alcohol, more calories. Dr. Flavin and her team recreated a beer from Dublin Castle, the home of Lord Deputy William Fitzwilliam who kept detailed records from 1570 to 1590 of brewing, the supplies used and the volumes created by each brewing cycle. The castle was a major military installation with 100 staff and numerous visitors each year. Records show that strong ale and ordinary ale were brewed, with ordinary ale consumed by the working class and strong ale consumed by the lord and visitors.
The records were used to determine the recipe for the beer. Accounts showed that oat malt and barley malt were in equal amounts per brewing cycle. The high content of oat malt would impact the flavor and mouth feel of this beer. The researcher had no luck sourcing an heirloom oat variety that could have been grown in 16th century Ireland so flaked oats were used. The barley came from the Agronomy and Agriculture Institute of Orkney, Scotland that had preserved and grown an heirloom variety of barley. This is an ancient variety but still might not be the variety used to make beer at Dublin Castle. There are records of hop purchases but not specifically the variety. Some records stated the hops were Flemish in origin. The researchers looked for old hop varieties that were imported and then grown in England. The Flemish hop Tolhurst was brought to England to be grown in 1882 but is no longer grown commercially. The U.K. National Hop Collection grows this hop, and it took three years to harvest enough hops replicate the brewing of the ale of Dublin Castle. Yeast was the last ingredient needed. Genome sequencing and molecular archeology were used to trace yeast genealogy back to a strain that has origins in Britain and Ireland. This yeast was used to brew Dublin Castle Ale. In the preparation for brewing this beer, all techniques for preparing the malt, drying the hops and preparing the yeast all mimicked the equipment and steps from historical documents on brewing. The oats and barley were ground with a mortar and pestle and mashed with warm water. Wooden implements were used for stirring the grain and water as well as removing the grain. Fire was the heat source. A replica brewhouse took three years to build and many skilled crafts people to create the copper boiling pot, wooden barrels and the wooden utensils used.
The research team knew the amount of grains, hops and yeast used from the records but there was still unknown of how much water was used, how long the ale was boiled and what level of evaporation occurred during the boiling. Three batches of Dublin Castle Ale were produced. The ale was honey colored, slightly bitter with noticeable hop flavor and was hazy. The use of oats increases the protein content of beer and can cause haze. The ale was analyzed and found to be 5 to 5.3 percent ABV. This is similar to modern ale and beer alcohol levels and contained 260 calories – not a light beer. The research showed that the beer could be replicated using the best available materials and historic techniques, the ale was higher in alcohol than expected and contained more calories than expected. If five to seven pints of this beer were consumed each day, mild inebriation would occur. English ancestors were a very happy bunch! The recipe for Dublin Castle Ale is available for home brewers to experiment with, but the availability of ingredients could be challenging. You can read the whole paper on this experiment at The Historical Journal – Understanding Early Modern Beer at Cambridge.org. You can get the recipe for this ale from Craft Beer & Brewing at Beerandbrewing.com as Dublin Castle Ale 1574.
Cross Creek Travelers By Kathy Bonick Biltmore Estate And The Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville, N.C., Oct. 20 To 25, $915 Per Person Double Occupancy (Add $209 For Singles) Fall dazzling splendor at the Biltmore Estate should not be missed, harvest season in the vineyards and gardens brimming with colorful mums are one of the many reasons to visit at this time of the year. Five nights lodging including three consecutive nights in the Asheville area Eight meals including five breakfasts and three dinners A guided tour of Asheville, N.C. A full day visit to the Biltmore Estate A guided drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway A visit to the famous Folk Art Center A visit to the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center Join us for this fall trip not to be missed. Amelia Island, St. Augustine And Jacksonville, Fla., Dec. 9 To 12, Four Days/Three Nights, $529 Double Occupancy Motorcoach transportation Three nights lodging in the Jacksonville area with six meals: three breakfasts and two dinners
A visit to the Fountain of Youth Guided tours of Amelia Island and St. Augustine Fantastic shopping on historic St. George Street Narrated cruise on the St. John’s River Dinner party and entertainment See the historic city of St. Augustine in white lights at evening for the Christmas season. Call Kathy Bonick to sign up. There is a $75 per person deposit, (309) 265-7241. Charleston, S.C., Feb. 24 To March 1, 2025, Six Days/ Five Nights, $799/Double Occupancy Transportation on top quality motorcoach, restroom and video equipped Five nights lodging including three consecutive nights in the Charleston area Eight meals including five breakfasts and three dinners A visit to famous and historic Middleton Place A visit to the historic Charleston City Market A relaxing harbor cruise in Charleston A guided tour of Charleston A tour of historic Charleston home and historic Charleston plantation There is a $75 per person deposit required. Call Kathy Bonick at (309) 265-7241 or email at kathyhike17@ yahoo.com.
ALL MEMBERS Golf Course/ Pro Shop/ Restaurant Will be closed on Mondays from May 6 through October 28