Ginger Ale (1863)

[James A. Landau]

In his very interesting set of posts on root beer, birch beer, and ginger
ale, Barry Popik unfortunately fails to distinguish between soft (i.e.
non-alcoholic) and hard (alcoholic) beverages.

In a message dated 1/28/03 12:25:55 AM Eastern Standard Time, Bapopik at AOL.COM
writes:

> << GINGER ALE>> . To ten gallons of water, put twelve pounds of sugar, six
> ounces of bruised ginger (unbleached is the best). Boil it one hour, put it
> into a barrel with one ounce of hops and three or four spoonfuls of yeast.
> Let it stand three days; then close the barrel, putting in one ounce of
> isinglass. In a week it is fit for use. Draw out in a jug, and use as beer.

If you let yeast work for a week in a closed barrel of sugar water, you are
definitely going to get an alcoholic beverage.

In a message dated 1/27/03 9:47:34 PM Eastern Standard Time, Bapopik at AOL.COM
writes:

>   Light beers, as ginger beer, mild hop and root beer, are economically
made,
> palatable, not injurious, and within every one's reach.
         <snip>
> Mead, Root-Beer, Ice-Cream, Preserves, &c.,

One cannot tell from context whether either of these two root beers are soft
or hard.

      - Jim Landau