A couple of weeks into writing my book on London Stout, I've just realised that I've never transcribed the five earliest Truman brewing records. One I photographed in 2007. The others in 2009. Why the hell have I never looked at them?
Especially as one covers a key period in the development of Porter: 1816 - 1817. Something I'm seriously looking into for the book. There was me thinking I'd got all the research done. Oh well. Back to transcribing records for a couple of days.
The oldest set are also dead handy because they have proper column headings. And the mashing details are understandable. Unlike the later ones, where the temperatures are in code. The bastards.
They're also quite beautiful. Like this:
Mens Table. There's a new beer style for you.
Contemplating this record, I thought about a series of posts explaining how to interpret brewing records. Which I could turn into a small book. Except I'm already involved in a side project. Working on yet another book, however small, is a stupid idea. Maybe next year.
What kind of code? Perhaps you could post the data, and the Internet hivemind could try to crack them? Just a thought...
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