Okay, we can’t be serious all the time. You’ve all had the question. Is THAT real? Well at this weekend’s brewing class, we took precautions to prevent burns from people actually putting their hands in the fire to check.
Category Archives: Ideas
Congress establishes the State Department, July 27, 1789
The Constitution of the United States, drafted in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 and ratified by the states the following year, gave the President responsibility for the conduct of the nation’s foreign relations. It soon became clear, however, that additional resources and formal structures were necessary to support President Washington in the conduct of …
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Upcoming Event
July 31, 2021 — 10:00 am – 4:00 pmSpies in Philadelphia: Codes, Cyphers, and SpycraftCARPENTERS’ HALL Going into the Revolution, Americans were at a huge disadvantage to the European powers when it came to cryptography, many of which had been using secret offices where sensitive letters were opened and deciphered by public officials for centuries. …
Birth of the US Post Office
On July 26, 1775, the Second Continental Congress declared “…that a Postmaster General be appointed for the United States, who shall hold his office at Philadelphia, and shall be allowed a salary of 1,000 dollars per annum…” Benjamin Franklin was not, however, the first Postmaster in America nor was this the first time he would …
Beer Recipe: Common Sense Cherry Pils
Although little used today, pamphlets were an important medium for the spread of ideas in the 16th through 19th centuries. Before the era of radio communication and television, when you wished to convey a message to a large audience, you published it. Originally published anonymously, “Common Sense” not only advocates independence but explains how the …
Upcoming Event
July 24, 2021“Hands on” 18th Brewing Class10:00am – 4:00 pm Perhaps you are an accomplished homebrewer and you want to appreciate the challenges faced by brewers in the 18th Century who brewed good beer without all the instrumentation and modern equipment we rely on, perhaps you are a history buff and want to know just …
Upcoming Event
July 24, 2021“Hands on” 18th Brewing Class10:00am – 4:00 pm Perhaps you are an accomplished homebrewer and you want to appreciate the challenges faced by brewers in the 18th Century who brewed good beer without all the instrumentation and modern equipment we rely on, perhaps you are a history buff and want to know just …
The Invention of the Thermometer
Every time I give a brewer’s presentation, I must remind the various homebrewers who come to these events that a thermometer would have been an EXPENSIVE and rare instrument in the 18th Century. Today they are ubiquitous, even my car has a built-in thermometer, but in 1750 these would have been delicate and hard to …
Basic Colonial Brewing #13 — Keeping Track of Time
I have a pretty good internal clock but like all brewers, keeping track of time, especially when talking to the public can be a challenge. Boil and mash times are relatively long and it is easy to get distracted. It is, therefore, important to objectively measure not just experience and guess about time. Unfortunately, like …
Continue reading “Basic Colonial Brewing #13 — Keeping Track of Time”
Upcoming Event
July 24, 2021 — 10:00am – 4:00 pm“Hands on” 18th Brewing Class Perhaps you are an accomplished homebrewer and you want to appreciate the challenges faced by brewers in the 18th Century who brewed good beer without all the instrumentation and modern equipment we rely on, perhaps you are a history buff and want to …
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 