Black Creek Historic Brewery welcomes you to enjoy an Evening of Field to Firkin the first friday of every month. Beginning May 7th, 2010 at 7:00 pm, join us for a colourful tour led by our costumed beer expert, enjoy samples from our casks and end the night with a refreshing pint of ale on us. As you tour the Brewery and the grounds of Black Creek Pioneer Village, prepare to be transported back in time as you learn about the history of beer and the many colourful characters involved in brewing in Victorian Ontario. The program cost is $15 (+tax) and space is limited, so please call 416-667-6284 for more information and to reserve your spot!
Month: April 2010
History Byte – Spring Tonic
As it is a beautiful spring day at the Village, it seems appropriate to post about a favourite spring pastime, brewing root beer. Root beers were a spring brew intended to help people through the weather change. I’ve come across a great recipe from Dr. Chase’s Recipes or Information for Everybody, published in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1866. I’ve reproduced it below:
ROOT BEER – For each gallon of water to be used take hops, burdock, yellow dock, sarsaparilla, dandelion, and spikenard roots, bruised, of each 1/2 oz.; boil about 20 minutes, and strain while hot, add 8 or 10 drops of oils of spruce and sassafras mixed in equal proportions, when cool enough not to scald your hand, put in 2 or 3 table-spoons of yeast; molasses 2/3 of a pint, or white sugar 1/2 lb. gives it about the right sweetness.
Keep these proportions for as many gallons as you wish to make. You can use more or less of the roots to suit your taste after trying it; it is best to get the dry roots, or dig them and let them dry, and of course you can add any other root known to possess medicinal properties desired in the beer. After all is mixed, let it stand in a jar with a cloth thrown over it, to work about two hours, then bottle and set in a cool place. This is a nice way to take alternatives, without taking medicine. And families ought to make it every Spring, and drink freely of it for several weeks, and thereby save, perhaps, several dollars in doctors’ bills.
Unlike modern root beers, these Victorian root beers would have been alcoholic drinks with an alcohol content hovering around 1% depending on how long they were allowed to ferment before consumption. If you are interested in trying these historic recipes, make sure you research the ingredients thoroughly to ensure they are safe. For this recipe, exclude the sassafras as it is a known carcinogen and ensure that any roots you harvest are from clean soil from an area not treated with pesticides. Happy Brewing!
History Bytes
Over the next several months I’ll be posting little articles about various topics related to the history of brewing in Ontario and beyond. These tidbits cover a wide range of material, from recipes to personalities. If you have a specific question or topic you would like to know more about relating to the history of brewing in Ontario, leave a comment and I will do my best to provide an answer!
Black Creek Historic Brewery at the Hamilton Food and Drink Festival
With our 2010 brewing season fast approaching, we were thrilled to attend the Hamilton Food and Drink Festival in partnership with the Art Gallery of Hamilton. Visitors really enjoyed our Pale and Brown ales and many came back for thirds and fourths! With the event over, it’s back to the business of making beer. Our 2010 season begins on Saturday, May 1st with the opening of Black Creek Pioneer Village. Come celebrate Black Creek Pioneer Village’s 50th anniversary with a pint of history!
The Black Creek Growler 