Yet again I'm having a week without an actual Friday Pint. This is though my last day on the current shift pattern of 11 - 11. After the weekend it's all change again, and so next Friday I'll be seeking out somewhere for a pre-work Friday Pint before starting the 1 - 1 shift.
So, what to write about in place of a pint? Well, this week I started reading one of the old books on beer that I'd downloaded from Project Gutenberg, "A Treatise on the Brewing of Beer" by E. Hughes. It's the second edition of the book published in Uxbridge in 1796, and contains advice on all aspects of beer from ingredient choices, to "Some very useful and necessary directions to the Publican who retails Common Brewer's Beer".
I've yet to read to that last section, but of the sections of the book I have read so far, the bit that has stuck in my mind has been the first section on water. Within it, E. Hughes goes over three different types of water, Well water, Spring or River water, and Rain water.
Well Waters, the book says, should only be used when waters of a softer nature cannot be obtained. These being the Spring or River, and Rain Waters. The book claims rain water to be prefered to river and well water, due to it being of a "simple and soft nature".
There is also a paragraph on "Many persons" prefering to use Pond Waters, though it points out that these are generally muddy, and these sediments can have a detrimental effect on the yeast and the beer in general.
Reading this segment of the book got me thinking. We are now used to water being treated for use as liquor in brewing. How much difference would it make if the water wasn't treated. I'd quite like to see a brewer, or perhaps a collaboration of brewers from various parts of the country, using the same ingredients (from the same sources to maintain that the only difference is the water source), brewing the same beer, only with different waters.
It might turn out to be a failure, but it would be fun and interesting nonetheless.
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