After some time at William Younger, Carl Jacobsen went to Burton to try to get an apprenticeship at one of the large Burton breweries. Without any luck. And then returned to Edinburgh.
I see from the lines you sent me from Burton that you have now returned to Edinburgh, which I also assume is most correct, as it appears from your letters that, after leaving Younger, you have felt that you were not quite finished learning what you could learn there, whereby I assume that you are thinking more of the overview that is required to be able to run a manufacturing plant and this you can certainly best acquire in the establishment where you now know all the details and are also so well known to all the functionaries that you can get all the information you want. It is hardly wrong that you also, by looking back on what you have learned, have discovered that there were various little things that you could wish to know better about - and it is on these little things that ultimately it depends whether an undertaking will succeed immediately; for otherwise much time and much money will be lost before one, by "fumbling" (ed.), has found the complete articulation of the system, whereby this first becomes an organic whole that has true vitality.
This sounds to me like at attempt to justify a possible retrograde step of returning to Younger, where he had already spent quite some time.
Jacobsen senior was very keen on learning about how Burton Pale Ale was produced. There's a considerable amount of talk about this in the correspondence.
I now look forward to gradually receiving a continuation of your interesting report on the procedure in the Younger brewery and on the brewery's equipment, etc. I also assume that you have learned something in Burton about the fermentation and storage of their export ale, which I am very eager to learn. You may also be able to learn something through your friend through correspondence, which will give you a preliminary idea of how to make the most of your stay in Burton when you return. Tell me if you spoke to Westenholz about whether he had any connection with any of the breweries in Burton. Tell me also whether you spoke to the hotelier, the former brewmaster, whose address Haagensen had given you. I cannot entirely give up hope that you may later get into one of the better breweries.
Jacobsen junior had managed to get to know one Burton brewer - Mr. Evershed. Of the brewery Evershed, one of the smaller operations in Burton. And where Jacobsen junior eventually served an apprenticeship. Clearly nit first choice. But the big boys - Bass, Allsopp and Salt - weren't interested.
In any case, it is good that you have become acquainted with Mr Evershed and, moreover, with his family, but it alarmed me, by the way, to hear that you still speak English as badly as the lady's statements suggest. I cannot urge you enough to now pursue the study of the English language, especially spoken language, journal reading, etc. systematically, that is, to set this as one of your tasks, which must be neglected just as the brewery. Now you must certainly be able to get the necessary time for it, even to take lessons from a teacher, if necessary, but you will get the best practice by constantly seeking association with English people and in this regard I would like you to live in a house where there was no Dane. Your mother and I wrote you some lines on March 2, which your mother would finally send the same day and the letter was then addressed franked to your hotel in Burton, from where I assume it was sent for you.
For some reason, Jacobsen junior wasn't that keen on English and doesn't seem to have picked up much during his stay. Which didn't please his dad.
Here's one of the more personal bits of the letter.
Tuesday afternoon
At this moment I received your letter from Edinburgh, which pleased us a lot, not least your mother, who is extremely happy about the "happiness" you are having and about your cheerful mood.- I am also pleased about the benefit that your spiritual development will have from a fuller, social life in educated circles and I believe that this, far from harming your activity as a technician, will on the contrary increase your spiritual energy and make you better suited to work among people.
Jacobsen junior's good use of the money he was given seems to have pleased his father.
When I get to town tomorrow, I will order a bill of exchange for £100 and send it to you. It pleases me to see that you understand how to use your money with good economy without petty stinginess. When you are going to show yourself as a gentleman, you can only get out of what you are doing with a sensible and moderate use of your means. That's clear.
Finally, we get to the most interesting part of the letter.
With the next steamer to Leith, I will, according to your request, send you a half-bottle of Carlsberg beer, which I also believe is healthier for you than Ale and Porter. We drank your cup on the evening of March 2nd in all kinds of Ale and Porter that you had sent, among which we (especially Vogelius and I) preferred Bass & Co's Ale, as the noblest drink. (Do you know the % strength of Bass's pale Ale?) I had another rarity to offer my guests, namely a bottle of London Porter that was over 20 years old. I have received a couple of bottles of it from Grocer Clausen at Christianshavn, who has had a small supply lying uncorked for 20 25 years. It has no carbonation of course, but is wine-like, somewhat sour, like all Porter, but is finer and more pleasant than both the Younger and London Porter you sent me. I am keeping the other bottle of the old Porter until you get home so that you can also convince yourself with your own tongue of the possibility of keeping Porter that long. As for the two last-mentioned types of Porter, we liked the Younger best; the other tasted somewhat raw. It was perhaps too cold, however.
Descriptions of beer flavour from the 19th century are frustratingly rare. Making it dead interesting to find one. And especially of such a special, extremely old Porter. What particularly struck me was this "somewhat sour, like all Porter". I assume that he means Keeping Porter. As Running Porter wouldn't have had time to sour.
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