HERB BEERS

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 77, 27 September 1924, Page 15

HERB BEERS

MAKING OLD-FASHIONED DRINKS »

YALTJABLE MEDICINAL PROPERTIES.'

Fruit cups and punches, tutti-frutti, and syllabuses are all very well once in a way, but for wholesome thirst-quench-ing drinks there \b nothing that approaches the old-fashioned herb beers. Apart from their economic advantages, declares a lady writer in the "Manchester Guardian," they have a distinct medicinal value, and it is certainly much more pleasant to make ono's duty one's delight by drinking a mug of cool herb beor than to dispose of the diurnal tablespoonful of " good spring medicine " so much in vague in the days of one's youth. These old beers are much more to the modern taste than the elaborate fruit wines, and are not half the trouble to make.

Many of these ancient recipes are difficult to obtain, for they have fallen into disuse, few families to-day remaining faithful to the rite of the summer brewing. One recalls the day set apart during the school holidays in summer when the family would assemble and, armed with two-pronged forks, baskets, and old gloves to prevent nettle sting, would set out on the annual adventure after young nettles, dandelion roots and flowers, and goose grass. Meanwhile those at home scoured the house for casks, bottles, and earthenware crocks, and the shortage of toilet bowls that ensued during the week was accepted as part of the inevitable.

NETTLE BEER. I Nettle beer was the prime favourite, ! and was a peculiarly dei\tablo brew if there were sufficient dandelion roots left over to give it an extra flavour. This beer was supposed to possess anti-asth-matic properties, as well as being a blood [ purifier. There were several ways of (making it, one of the. simplest being to take one peck of well-washed tender nettles to one ounce of bruised ginger and, covering these with water, allow them to boil for half an hour. Whilst they are boiling, take a large earthenware bowl and place in it one pound of lump sugar, and one thinly-sliced lemon; then, placing a strainer across, pour over it the contents of the pan. This ought to make one gallon of liquid, but should there not be enough add a little more water to the nettles and reboil before making up the required quantity. Toast a slice of bread and put it into the bowl, and add a breakfast-cupful of barm as soon as it; has become lukewarm not before or you will scald the barm and prevent it working, Some people, instead of waiting for the liquor to cool, add cold water to bring down the temperature, but this is a mistake, as it prevents the beer from keeping. When you have put in the barm stir up the whole very well. Leave it covered on the hearth for eight hours to work, and then take off the barm and bottle. This j is undoubtedly improved by the addition of dandelion roots.

HOP ALE. Home-made hop alo was a very simple process/and was supposed to keep for at least a week. For this recipe one took an ounce of hops and half an ounce of bruised ginger root and placed it in three pints of water and boiled for half an hour. Then 1£ pound of Demerara sugar was added, and the whole reboiled until all the sugar dissolved. The liquid was poured into an earthenware pan and allowed to stand overnight. Next day it was gradually drawn off into another vessel and bottled.

HOREHOUND BEER. Horehound beer is a cooling, wholesome drink, and both simple to make and very cheap. Put a handful of horehound in three gallons of soft spring water, with two pound of treacle. Boil for an hour, strum, and cool to the temperature of new milk. Then add two tablespoonfuls of yeast, and let it stand for twenty-four hours, after which it is ready for bottling.