Brewing Ale and Boiling Water in 1651

Abstract

In the autumn of 1651, Colonel Edward Harley (1689–1741) and his uncle Edward Conway (1594–1655), second Viscount of Conway and Kiluta, spent considerable time discussing Sir John Tracey’s (died 1648) recipe to brew ale. High on their list of concerns was a production step which called for water to be boiled on its own for 3 h. This essay takes an in-depth look at Sir John Tracey’s ale recipe and the ‘boiling water step’ in order to explore how and where household recipes might fit into discussions on ‘structures of practical knowledge.’ Through examining the myriad of reasons why early modern men and women might consider carrying out the ‘boiling water step,’ I reconstruct a series of contextual frames around the creation of the ale recipe. These frames include the social structure of the early modern English country house and changing contemporary ideas about water quality, diet, health and the human body. I argue that practical knowledge such as recipes are continually framed or ‘structured’ by shifting social, cultural and intellectual contexts. The longevity of particular recipes lies in their flexibility to connect with changing contextual frameworks.