History Alcoholic Black Birch Beer.

[major bill]

Before the Civil War people in the Northeast were making a type of small beer by tapping Black Birch Trees and fermenting the sap. Sadly, Black Birch Trees were not native to the Southern States and was not much drank in the South. The natural range of Black Birch Trees does include Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. I am not aware if the people of Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee were making or drinking alcoholic Black Birch Beer during the Civil War era as Black Birch Beer was mostly a New York and Pennsylvania thing.

Wintergreen is made from the sap of Black Birch Trees and Black Birch Beer tastes a lot like Wintergreen. As pioneers moved west they planted Black Birch Trees so they could make items from them. Some pioneers in the Midwest brought the making of Birch Beer with them. As far as I know Yellow Birch Trees were only used to make Birch syrup and Birch tea, if I am mistaken, then I hope someone jumps in and corrects me. If you have Black Birch Trees in your area, you might tap them the same way you would tap maple trees. I have no information if Birch syrup was made during the Civil War era. I am told Birch syrup also tastes a bit like Wintergreen, but have never tried it myself.

 

[donna]

Interesting.

 

[CivilWarTalk]

This was printed on April 6, 1833 in the Genesee Farmer and Gardener's Journal of Rochester, New York....

​ . . . .

​

​ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

​

 

[donna]

Also found several sites on birch flour. It made from the inner part of tree. There were recipes for bread, cookies and shortbread. They learned about flour from Native Americans. Thought very interesting.

 

[Jeff in Ohio]

Hic! Hic! Hic!

Well, I have heard of "birch beer" and I always figured it was a poor cousin to other sorts of beverages, in the same class as poor coffee substitutes used when real coffee could not be obtained. Do you know if there was every any commercial making and distributing of birch beer?

 

[CivilWarTalk]

Do you know if there was every any commercial making and distributing of birch beer?

From Book of Directions for Carbonated Beverages. New York, John Matthews Apparatus Company, 1832….

 

[Jeff in Ohio]

Same sort of instructions given with root beer extract that was (maybe still is) sold in stores - the user would brew an alcoholic root beer at home!

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

I'm familiar with black birch trees in Kentucky but had no idea you could get beer from the sap! On the other hand there were plenty of distillers around and about so maybe beer wasn't as much in demand.

 

[major bill]

I believe birch beer is mostly made from twigs and bark. Many Civil War soldiers would have been familiar with birch beer. Black birch grows as far south as northern Georgia and Northern Alabama. Soldiers from the deep South would haver proba y not been familiar with birch beer. Birth beer was a small beer with a low alcohol content.

 

[ColonelBuckwalter]

Hic! Hic! Hic!

Well, I have heard of "birch beer" and I always figured it was a poor cousin to other sorts of beverages, in the same class as poor coffee substitutes used when real coffee could not be obtained. Do you know if there was every any commercial making and distributing of birch beer?

I can get ktba quarter mine from here. White birch I'm not as fond of.