“Myrtille” is French for Blueberry. It is popular in some so-called patriotic circles to make snarky comments about France and the French, We call them “Frogs” and complain about rescuing them from their foreign exploits like Vietnam when they hold us to high moral standards on our adventures. The fact, however, is that the United …
Continue reading “Beer Recipe: French Alliance “Myrtile” Lambic”
The first major step in brewing beer is to extract the fermentable sugars and starches from the malt kernels. This process is called mashing (from the German maisch: to mix). The basic idea is to harness the enzymes already present in the grain in order to digest the complex inert starches into fermentable simple sugars. …
Continue reading “Basic Colonial Brewing #9 — Mashing and Decoction”
When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. May 10, 1775 2nd Continental Congress As the first Continental Congress adjourned in December 1774, they agreed that should Parliament not repeal the Coercive Acts by May, they would …
When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. May 10, 1773 – TEA ACT The Tea Act of 1773 was one of several measures imposed on the American colonists by the heavily indebted British government in the …
When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. May 10, 1775 Fort Ticonderoga taken by Ethan Allen. When Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, accompanied by Benedict Arnold, silently rowed across Lake Champlain and captured the …
During Antiquity and the Middle Ages, sugar was rare and expensive commodity. Beginning in the 15th century, however, sugar cane plantations developed in the West Indies, then South America, particularly in Brazil. Sugar was the top colonial commodity. It was at the root of the ‘triangular trade’, where European shipowners exchanged trinkets for African men, who were then sold as slaves …
Continue reading “Sugar Cones or Loaves and the Making of Rum”
This weekend, we ran a brewing class at Fort Mifflin. For some time, it has been my practice to GIVE FREE SAMPLES during these programs but this weekend, that largess was abused. Well over $51 in reusable bottles were taken and I don’t know who took them. Sadly, because of the actions of a few …
This weekend, we ran a brewing class at Fort Mifflin. For some time, it has been my practice to GIVE FREE SAMPLES during these programs but this weekend, that largess was abused. Well over $51 in reusable bottles were taken and I don’t know who took them. Sadly, because of the actions of a few …
Okay folks, its about to happen. All of the work we put into making the TV programs for both the Discovery and Travel Channels (highlighting different aspects of Fort Mifflin) are about to come to fruition. May 7 — Portals to Hell — Fort Mifflin Travel Channel The hosts investigate a Fort Mifflin ‘s Revolutionary …
When reenacting or acting as a historical interpreter, its good to have a few historical dates and stories to share. This series will publish a few. May 7, 1763Pontiac’s Rebellion begins when Ottawa Indians attach Fort Detroit. After the conclusion of the French and Indian War (1754-1763), Chief Pontiac (Ottawa) led a loosely united group …
