SC - Coleman oven

[Jeanne Stapleton]

Christine A Seelye-King wrote:

> More questions for my Breakfast class:
>         I taught my new "Breaking the Fast, or, What Did They Eat For
> Breakfast?" this weekend, and it went very well.   We started talking
> about the references to beer and wine in many of the listings of what
> people were allotted for breakfast, and the question about the SCA not
> giving out alcohol came up.  What I am wondering is, what kind of beer
> would have been served?  Is "small beer" a lighter, lower-alcohol version
> of what would have been drunk later in the day?

Christine,

    My SO did a paper on Markham's 3 runnings of beer.  If you have a preferred
email address, I'm sure he'd be happy to send it to you.  (He got a masterwork at
Gulf War on it. Meridian? rules, I think.  Look at p 31)    The small beer was a
much lighter taste.  It had almost no hops bitterness, was very pale, and ended up
~3.25% alcohol.   Remember too, that in period there were laws restricting alewives
from selling ale or beer that was only a few hours old, a pretty good indication
that small beer was drunk very young.  Ox's small beer had finished fermenting
within 5 days.

    My experience with the small meads in Digby is ferment for 5 days, bottle, wait
3-5 days, drink resulting fizzy 2-3 % small mead within 5 days.



> [fzzy lemon drink]  I don't think this is a period recipe, but it is a
> very simple, easy to make beverage.

I have a couple of period recipes for similar beverages.  I'll post them as soon as
I find & type them.

- -Magdalena