We had our first Colonial Brewing Class of 2021 and while I can think of at least forty things I meant to teach but just didn’t get out there, we have had pretty good feedback. We are planning to do this again in April at Thornbury Farms on the Brandywine Battlefield and perhaps again at …
Category Archives: Ideas
Regimental Brewmeister Books Now Available at Fort Mifflin
I recently published a new edition of the Beers and Beer Stories by the Regimental Brewmeister and while you can buy this from Amazon, I am placing several copies at the Fort Mifflin giftshop. Since I am supplying Fort Mifflin these books at my author price, if you buy from the fort, seventy-seven percent of …
Continue reading “Regimental Brewmeister Books Now Available at Fort Mifflin”
Basic Colonial Brewing #3 — What is a “Colonial Beer?”
Reenactors seem to revel in the debate over historical accuracy. We either passionately focus on authenticity or we bristle at those who do. Colonial brewers are reenactors and we run the gamut from casual historical entertainers to passionate academic historians. There is a place for everyone but we need to acknowledge the range of expression …
Continue reading “Basic Colonial Brewing #3 — What is a “Colonial Beer?””
We are Definitely Running a Colonial Brewing Class
The only wildcard is now the weather. Yes, we have a lot of snow. Brewers like snow. So long as the roads are clear, we are brewing on February 20 at Fort Mifflin. If you wanted to get into this class but were not one of the intrepid first dozen who signed up, go ahead …
Continue reading “We are Definitely Running a Colonial Brewing Class”
18th Century Parlor Games
Just like today, people of the 18th Century enjoyed parlor and tavern games, often gambling. At most Living History events, there are long periods between major events. One of the best ways, asside from giving talks and meeting the public, to pass the time is with a game. There are two primary types of parlor …
THE BILL OF RIGHTS: A BRIEF HISTORY #4
Insurrections often are propagated upon misinformation. So too are the most recent band of domestic terrorist who like to hide behind our most sacred American institutions. In this series, I want to explore the Bill of Rights and why some of the hype and hyperbole thrown around by the extremist is not just wrong but …
The Battle is Lost but the War in Far from Over!
Although the minutemen lost the Battle of Lexington, they won the Battle of Concord and drove the British troops back to Boston where the state militia blockaded the troops in Boston, in what later became known as the Siege of Boston. Eventually the British were forced to withdraw to Nova Scotia. Yesterday, the ENEMIES OF …
Continue reading “The Battle is Lost but the War in Far from Over!”
We are Going to Run a Colonial Brewing Class
Well, the COVID numbers are dropping and everything looks like a solid “go” for this class. In fact, we have already sold 10 of the 12 slots (sorry but in the current pandemic world, 12 is our limit). If you want to be in this class, you must act soon. Go to http://www.fortmifflin.us/event/colonial-brewing/ for more …
Continue reading “We are Going to Run a Colonial Brewing Class”
The Colonial Surveyor
The first surveyors in America arrived with the Jamestown Company in 1621. Given the goal of quickly settling Virginia and the vagaries of Royal Charters for Maryland, Virginia, and the Carolina colonies, surveyors were critical to establishing order in the colonies. The role of the surveyor was to transfer land from the crown to private …
Can’t afford a painted portrait – Make a Silhouette
In the 1st century, Pliny the Elder told the story of Dibutade, a 5th century Corinthian girl, who traced her lover’s shadow, cast by candlelight, because she wanted to keep the image of her lover with her when he went away on a journey. A renaissance of this art form occurred in the 18th century …
Continue reading “Can’t afford a painted portrait – Make a Silhouette”
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 