hist_text list info: http://www.xmission.com/~drudy/mtman/maillist.html
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Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 09:19:59 -0800
From: "Gary A. Bell" <microptics@earthlink.net>
Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Beer
>
> Rum most certainly. Rev. War soldiers were issued a daily rum ration, as were the lads with Lewis & Clark.
> What about corn whiskey or bourbon? When were those introduced? Honest question, as I don't know, and those are my personal poisons of choice.
Recall hearing of the Whiskey Rebellion? No sooner had our new nation settled itself after the Revolution, but a bunch of cranky farmers objected to this new fangled Congress taxing their corn liquor. Farmers were used to 'adding value' to their corn crop by converting it to bourbon. Easier to store as well as trade. Federals had to put it down with troops. The Rebellion that is, although the troops probably put down a lot of the liquor too.
Alcoholic beverage was a significant part of our society from long before the first white folks came to this continent, both in naturally fermented forms like wines, meads and various beers, and in distilled forms, brandy, whiskey, and others.
As a brewer of fine and fancy ales, and one who will admit to 'adding value' to a number of interesting things in the past (what is the statute of limitations on moonshinin' anyway, that's exactly how long ago I did that!) I can tell ya that making ale or beer of any sort takes lots of experience, which was not generally shared (kept more like family secret recipes) and lots of equipment not found in the average mountain man's kit. Forget distilling in the West too for the same
reasons. That leaves the trade lists with which we are already familiar.
Brewers everywhere are aware of recipes for George Washington's small beer, for Spruce Beer (spruce oil used before hops became popular), and all sorts of other interesting (as opposed to 'tasty') brews. I doubt that much of that sort of thing came west to the rendezvous because of the bulk however, which favors the distilled liquors as trade goods. My readings indicate that they enjoyed a certain popularity. I expect also that most of that moved west in barrels, does anybody
have historical data on trappers carrying bottles or jugs of this stuff themselves? Seems a risky thing for them to do.
Does anybody have more specific information about which distilled materials were included in the trade shipments? I'll check around for earliest breweries in the West, but I despair of finding anything very close to the fur trade era because of the infrastructure needed -- good water, manufactured goods, like tanks, barrels and such. The east clearly dominated that until the west was developed enough to support such industry. Probably some early home brewing and wine making,
but boy howdy that will be hard to track down.
How about anyone with Native American fermented beverage information? I am guessing that they will be even harder to find, consistent with the fabled impact that white man's fire water had on the native folk. Anybody know of native brews? Other continents have native fermented drinks, although they seem to be mostly sub tropical or warmer.
Anyway, the impression I have of the trapper is that he 'enjoyed' a life of abstinence (from liquor that is) until the traders showed up, then he very much enjoyed the opposite.
Heron,
proud member of the Oregon Brew Crew too!
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hist_text list info: http://www.xmission.com/~drudy/mtman/maillist.html
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Date: Tue, 28 Nov 2000 12:36:36 EST
From: SWzypher@aol.com
Subject: Re: MtMan-List: Dancing 1651 - 1728
In a message dated 11/28/0 09:35:35 AM, jal@cray.com writes:
