Historical Tidbits — Retreats across the Delaware

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. December 8, 1776           Washington crosses Delaware (retreat) On 8 December 1776, after a long retreat through New Jersey under pressure from the British Army, American General George Washington …

Curaçao

In 1499 the Spanish sent an expedition to the Caribbean island of Curaçao in an attempt to cultivate Seville oranges. Oranges were vital to naval operations in the region as they were used to fight scurvy.  The Seville oranges, however, struggled under the island’s harsh equatorial sun, arid climate, and infertile soil eventually evolving into a small, bitter, …

Historical Tidbits — Delaware became the first state to ratify the US Constitution

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. December 7, 1787 – Delaware became the first state to ratify the US Constitution.  The Constitution was not ratified by all states until May 29, 1790, when Rhode Island …

Historical Tidbits — 1st Bank of North America established

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. December 31, 1781          1st Bank of North America established Chartered May 26, 1781, by the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation, this enterprise was the first national and truly …

Historical Tidbits — Arnold Attacks Quebec City

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. December 31, 1775 — Patriot forces under Colonel Benedict Arnold and General Richard Montgomery attempted to capture the British-occupied city of Quebec and with it win support for the …

Historical Tidbits — General Montgomery killed

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. December 31, 1775          General Montgomery killed General Richard Montgomery launched a courageous attack on the lower city of Quebec (along the river beneath the walls) in the middle of …

Historical Tidbits

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. December 1, 1779            2nd Encampment at Morristown While much in made of the harsh conditions at Valley Forge, the winter of 1779 was the harshest in the war.  “A …

Baked Apple Wassail

The word “wassail” appears as early as the 8th century in the poem Beowulf. Originally, it was used as salutatory gesture (wassail!) from Old Norse ves heill “be healthy.”  By the 12th Century, Wassail was used as a drinking salutation, similar to the use of “Cheers” or “Probst” today, and his use seems to have …

Hey Brewmeister, why are there all those QR codes on your bottles and kegs?

Okay, I don’t give away bottles but you may have noticed that every bottle and every keg have a QR code on it and its not a SKU because I am not selling beer outside of events and I am not that sophisticated in my inventory management.  So, what are these? Well, brewing beer is, …