Small Beer

"It was common for workers (including sailors) who engaged in heavy physical labor to drink more than 10 imperial pints (5.7 litres) of small beer during a workday to quench their thirst. Small beer was also drunk because it contained precious calories, and might even have bits of wheat or bread suspended in the drink.

Small beer and small ale can also refer to a beer made of the "second runnings" from a very strong beer (e.g., scotch ale) mash. These beers can be as strong as a mild ale, depending on the strength of the original mash. (Drake's 24th Anniversary Imperial Small Beer was expected to reach above 9.5% abv.[2]) This was done as an economy measure in household brewing in England up to the 18th century and is still done by some homebrewers. One commercial brewery, San Francisco's Anchor Brewing Company, also produces their Anchor Small Beer using the second runnings from their Old Foghorn Barleywine. The term is also used derisively for commercially produced beers which are thought to taste too weak."

why wouldn't they drink tall boys if they were working all day?
that's how I roll and it works pretty good

>>9113586
I've done a small beer in the past when brewing a barleywine.. It's double the work and time of a normal brew day. Easier to just brew 10 gallons at a time instead of 5.

It is nice to have two fermenters full instead of one.

>>9114013
double the time because first you had to brew barleywine, then separately afterwards you and to rebrew it into small beer - right? How easy do you think it could be if you're not brewing small beer as a result of brewing real bear, but brewing small beer directly itself? If it's at least as easy as brewing kombucha I might give it a shot