California Pop Beer

[Eleanor Rose]

Rare stoneware bottle from Bidderford ME. It is embossed B.F; HALEY CALIFORNIA POP BEER.
(Photo courtesy of WorthPoint)​

California Pop Beer was originally made more than 150 years ago in a brewery in Newark, New Jersey. Archaeologists believe it was served in the Atlantic Tavern, a German beer hall that opened at 50 Bowery in Manhattan, around 1860. The venue was a fashionable spot to eat German food, listen to music and drink beer. It was also a place for Union soldiers to gather during the Civil War.

If you'd like to try your hand at brewing the beer yourself, here's the recipe. I suspect it will have a minty flavor based on some of the ingredients.


California Pop Beer

Ingredients (makes about 5 gallons of beer):

For the yeast:
3 1/2 teaspoons of wheat flour
4 1/2 ounces of cold water
1/4 teaspoon of hops
2 teaspoons of ground malt
1/2 teaspoon of grain alcohol

For the "essence":
1 1/2 teaspoons of grain alcohol
1/4 teaspoon of wintergreen oil
1/8 teaspoon of sassafras oil
1/8 teaspoon of spruce oil

Additional ingredients for final step:
2 1/2 ounces of hops
4 teaspoons of cream of tartar
2 1/2 teaspoons of ginger
1/2 gallon of water
3 1/2 pounds of sugar

Directions:
To make the yeast, steep the hops in 3 ounces of water for an hour and strain. Dissolve the flour into 1 1/2 ounces of cold water and add the strained hops. After 30 minutes, add the malt and the alcohol and let it sit for 12 hours.

Separately, mix the essence together: combine alcohol, wintergreen, sassafras and spruce oil and set aside.

For the final mixture, combine the 2 1/2 ounces of hops, cream of tartar and ginger root and set aside. Combine 1/2 gallon of water and sugar in a separate container and add the hops, cream of tartar and ginger-root mixture. Then, add the "essence" and heat up the combined mixture until it hits 90 degrees. Add the yeast mixture, and let it sit for four hours. Then, place the mixture in a bottle and let it sit for three days.

Bowery Postcard (Ephemeral New York)
​

The legendary turn-of-the-century Bowery is described as "the seedy main drag." It was memorialized in the refrain of the 1891 hit "The Bowery":

"They say such things
And they do strange things
On the Bow'ry!
The Bow'ry!
I'll never go there any more!"

​

 

[donna]

What a great stoneware. I love stoneware. Have several old pieces.

Wonderful recipe too.

 

[UCVRelics]

Here in the South it was called Ginger Beer and we find a lot of those stoneware bottles in the camps. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

 

[JOHN42768]

Interesting

 

[Mrs. V]

Rare stoneware bottle from Bidderford ME. It is embossed B.F; HALEY CALIFORNIA POP BEER.
(Photo courtesy of WorthPoint)​

California Pop Beer was originally made more than 150 years ago in a brewery in Newark, New Jersey. Archaeologists believe it was served in the Atlantic Tavern, a German beer hall that opened at 50 Bowery in Manhattan, around 1860. The venue was a fashionable spot to eat German food, listen to music and drink beer. It was also a place for Union soldiers to gather during the Civil War.

If you'd like to try your hand at brewing the beer yourself, here's the recipe. I suspect it will have a minty flavor based on some of the ingredients.


California Pop Beer

Ingredients (makes about 5 gallons of beer):

For the yeast:
3 1/2 teaspoons of wheat flour
4 1/2 ounces of cold water
1/4 teaspoon of hops
2 teaspoons of ground malt
1/2 teaspoon of grain alcohol

For the "essence":
1 1/2 teaspoons of grain alcohol
1/4 teaspoon of wintergreen oil
1/8 teaspoon of sassafras oil
1/8 teaspoon of spruce oil

Additional ingredients for final step:
2 1/2 ounces of hops
4 teaspoons of cream of tartar
2 1/2 teaspoons of ginger
1/2 gallon of water
3 1/2 pounds of sugar

Directions:
To make the yeast, steep the hops in 3 ounces of water for an hour and strain. Dissolve the flour into 1 1/2 ounces of cold water and add the strained hops. After 30 minutes, add the malt and the alcohol and let it sit for 12 hours.

Separately, mix the essence together: combine alcohol, wintergreen, sassafras and spruce oil and set aside.

For the final mixture, combine the 2 1/2 ounces of hops, cream of tartar and ginger root and set aside. Combine 1/2 gallon of water and sugar in a separate container and add the hops, cream of tartar and ginger-root mixture. Then, add the "essence" and heat up the combined mixture until it hits 90 degrees. Add the yeast mixture, and let it sit for four hours. Then, place the mixture in a bottle and let it sit for three days.

Bowery Postcard (Ephemeral New York)
​

The legendary turn-of-the-century Bowery is described as "the seedy main drag." It was memorialized in the refrain of the 1891 hit "The Bowery":

"They say such things
And they do strange things
On the Bow'ry!
The Bow'ry!
I'll never go there any more!"

​

Sounds yummy!

 

[Union_Buff]

Thank you for posting this Eleanor - it looks like a delicious recipe

 

[WJC]

Interesting. So that is "Ginger Beer". Thanks for sharing.

 

[mofederal]

The name doesn't matter as much as the taste. That is the most important thing. I do like the stoneware bottle. Five gallons is a lot to make if it tastes bad.

 

[JPK Huson 1863]

Ok, we've had the 'pop' conversation before here on CWT- ' pop ', Pittsburgh, for instance, but a store clerk around here in eastern PA would look at anyone asking for ' pop ' like they had 3 eyes. It's your thread, Eleanor, ( which I'm sending off the rails here, sorry! ) , will pick on you first- what's the word where you live, please?

 

[2/241]

Here in the South it was called Ginger Beer and we find a lot of those stoneware bottles in the camps. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

how much would a bottle (with engravings) in perfect conditions cost?

 

[nitrofd]

how much would a bottle (with engravings) in perfect conditions cost?

The price on these type of clay jugs reall depend on the area that they are from,plus the rarity and size and any special markings or designs on it.

 

[Eleanor Rose]

@JPK Huson 1863, soft drink is the general word folks use. However, for a lot of folks every soft drink is called a Coke or Pepsi.

 

[donna]

I remember my cousins calling all soft drinks Pop. This was many years ago in rural Fayette County, Ky.

Many just called everything Coke or Pepsi.