Here is the F. Gaul & Smith Brewers Journal from the F. Gaul & Smith Brewing Company (which would eventually become Betz Brewery) located in Philadelphia, PA. This early pre-prohibition era leather-bound Brewers Journal Book dates from August 21, 1839 and ends March 5th, 1840. This Pre-Civil War era book is by far the oldest item in my personal collection and definitely one of the oldest I’ve ever seen too.
The contents of this book is handwritten in the brewmasters hand in great detailed beer recipes and the daily brewing processes. Each page is marked at the top with the date, weather conditions, and temperature for that day. From there it lists in detail what style of beer the brewery was producing, the ingredients, and the entire process including boil to final fermentation. It is that exact process that allowed the brewery to continue to produce consistent beer, ale, and porter recipes each and every time.
Records like this book rarely surface, they are equal to a company’s trade secrets and are usually included with the brewery when ownership changes. Plus, it’s amazing that a book this old has survived the test of time!
Interested in brewing an early American beer?
The description and images are only just scratching the surface of what is in this book! If any commercial breweries have interest in a collaboration project using the contents of this book, please contact me to discuss. This book is not for sale, but I would be willing to share some of it’s contents in hopes of recreating an early American beer.