Making Connections: 6 Brew Your Own

Brew Your Own

There are numerous micro-collections in the Distilling, Fermenting, and Brewing Collection. Our holdings include books on growing grapes and making wine; accounts of smuggling and rum running; histories of specific kinds of alcoholic beverages; religious and polemical works in support of the Temperance movement; and books and other materials arguing for or against Prohibition. On display here are books that form a micro-collection on beer and brewing. But within this micro-collection are two other micro-collections. One group is about home or do-it-yourself brewing (as opposed to commercial brewing). And as their publication dates suggest—from 1798 to the 2000s--home brewing has been practiced for a very long time. The other group of books focuses on numerous plants used in making beer. Hops are a widely used ingredient, but so are various herbs and spices. Moreover, barrels for aging beer use different kinds of hardwoods and fruit woods, which can impart subtle flavors.

Collection: Distilling, Fermenting, and Brewing