Well hopped and cooked
The ever longer sea voyages especially in the early 17th century brought about an extra focus on durability. The old hanseatic beer was copied, made in Holland and is now shipped to the other side of the globe. In 1671 in 'Aeloude en hedendaegsche scheeps-bouw en bestier' (1) we find the following texts in Dutch: 'Special care is to be taken, that the beer is well hopped, well cooked, brewed in March or April, or in September or October, to be especially durable, and not to get stinking.' A few years later the same tekst appears in a command of the Prince of Orange, 'stadholder' of the Netherlands (2).
Bartholomeus van der Helst 1639 (detail) Collection Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.
Renaissance painting at brewery De Haan, the most important producer of shipsbeer.
Small beer and good beer
Elsewhere in the same book: 'Beer that is to be consumed on board, should be well hopped, and brewed in spring or the grass month.' We also found references to 'completely fermented beer that should fill barrels to the full, and be stowed with the carefully closed gap on top.' In the ships food registers elsewhere in the book there is distinction between small beer and good beer.
Peter Kolbe tells us around four decades later about many kinds of beer and details like the existence of a special hoard for the ships command (3). Kolbe also states that 'good' beer is getting better after the journey to the East. I've tried to translate this old text; Accurate description. Beer was never just beer, there were distinctions in flavor and durability, like there were distinctions between people.
Frederik Ruis
(1)
Aeloude en hedendaegsche scheeps-bouw en bestier
Nicolaas Corneliszoon Witsen
Google digitalised 2010
1671
p.285
p.415
p.435
(2)
Ordre Van Syne Hoogheyt den Heere Prince van Orange,
tot observantie van goede discipline in 's Landts Vloote.
(Google eBoek)
Jac. Scheltus
1674
Dat zorghvuldighlijk geprocureert sal werden, dat het Bier wel gehopt ende wel gekoockt
'Special care is to be taken, that the beer is well hopped, well cooked, brewed in March or April, or in September or October, to be especially durable, and not to get stinking.'
(3)
Naauwkeurige beschryving van de Kaap de Goede Hoop
Peter Kolbe
Google digitalised 2008
1727
p.33-35
Aeloude en hedendaegsche scheeps-bouw en bestier 1671
Aeloude en hedendaegsche scheeps-bouw en bestier 1671