SC - Rarity of Fermantation recipes (was Fermented Beverage

[Nick Sasso]

Niccolo wrote:
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  Even wonder what they used for timing and
thermometers in the brewing; afterall, yeast is VERY temperature
sensitive.

niccolo difrancesco
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My friend Geoffrey is doing some research into period brewing. 
Admittedly, most of his documentation is late period, it is still pretty cool. 
He was wondering himself how they dealt with temperature. ........  I am
going to forward this to him and see if he will write something about this
if you are interested.

Yours,
Avelina
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Aveline, 
I will greatly appreciate any information you would proffer on this.  What
I am familiar with is pretty remarkable.  Recipes refer to quantities of
boiling water (hard boil) mixed with room temp water t oget a certain
'ideal' for mashing stages or pitching, or whatever.  We marvelled and
said 'these poor, technologically deprived boobs....don't they wish they
had thermometers and watches?'.  

Well, the crow was mighty tasty that night as we mixed the amounts
listed and came within 2-4 degreesF of the temps listed in our high
falooting brewing guides.  I suppose they were the Masters after all! 
After a time, you get to know by touch.  I can tell the proper temperature
to pitch yeast in a carboy (70 F or less) by touch.  Primarily because I've
felt the warmth so many times before pitching theyeast and it beionmg
TOO WARM!  Reputedly, a brewer would run his finger through the top
of a pot of water as it heated to determine proper temp.  The number of
times he could do so wouild tell him if hot enough.

As for time, one reference we found has direction to boil something for
a 'furlong' or some such.  We had to really look and cogitate to figure out
that that was the time it took to walk a 'furlong' and back.  Pretty
ingenious.  Or another that told of three tuns of time......a tun is a vessel
used to hold water.....time to fill it at the stream three times.  Brilliant
people compard to our electronic dependent lives.

pax et bonum,
niccolo difrancesco
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