Page 212 - The Lost Ways

A Schematic of a Homemade Still

The entry points into the lidded vessel need to be plugged. You can plug the
thermometer entry point using either a flour/water mix or, even better, use clay.

Sailors

Sailors were famous consumers of alcohol of all kinds, and beer was a daily part of their
diet. A voyage on a sailing ship could last a very long time; from England, it took five weeks
to cross the Atlantic, three months to India, and four months to Australia or China. A cask
of water might start the journey clear and fresh, but after a few weeks, it would be
streaked with green slime and infested with bacteria and parasites. Water was also
carried, but the sailors mostly used it for cooking.

There were ways they used to preserve water that you will find later on. When they
wanted a drink, most of the time they opted for beer. Kegs of beer stayed fresh much
longer than water. The full name of the popular IPA style is India Pale Ale, and it was
specially brewed to survive the long voyage from England to India without spoiling.

The Royal Navy only stopped issuing its sailors a daily rum ration in 1970, when the

admirals finally realized that alcohol and guided missiles were a bad idea, and that

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