Crafting a Cream Ale from Canadian Prohibition Days - Brewing History

Easy Homebrew Recipe for the Perfect 'Lawnmower Beer' 🍻
Join me in the brewery as I recreate an early North American cream ale, diving deep into its historical roots, brewing techniques, and flavoUrs. From selecting classic Canadian two-row and six-row barley to incorporating flaked corn, this video takes you through the step-by-step process of crafting a smooth, easy-drinking beer with a nod to the past. I’ll explain the brewing system I’m using, the mashing, hops selection, and even touch on Canadian Prohibition’s impact on this style. Watch till the end as I taste-test the finished cream ale-an ideal “lawnmower beer” perfect for relaxing afternoons!
30L strike water at 149ºF
1 campden tablet
6 mL lactic acid
2 Kg 6 row malt 48.8%
1.5 kG 2 row malt 36.6%
600g flaked corn 14.6%
60 minute mash at 149ºF
15 minute mashout at 171ºF
Pre boil gravity 1.038 D20
Pre boil volume 29 L
15.9g Cluster 7% alpha for 60 Minutes 16 IBU
1 whirlflock at 15 minutes
1 tsp yeast nutrient at 15 minutes
22g Crystal 2.7% alpha at flameout whirl 15 minutes 2 IBU
Opening Gravity 11.5ºPlato / 1.045 D20
Pitched 1 pkg Escarpment Labs Cream Ale Blend
Left in primary fermentor for 28 days before kegging.
Final Gravity 1.006 around 5% ABV
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[@compupix]

I wish KZbinrs with larger audiences than yours would care as much about their audio.

[@jonathangreen6163]

He’s got a huge following! This is one of his smaller channels!

[@midhudsonmarketing6484]

As another commenter said below, I am no flying or brewing expert but I love watching and listening to you. And I'm learning! Thank you so much, Glen. - Marilyn

[@G.L.McCarthy-vr1oe]

Don't understand brewing any better than flying, but holy buckets, you make it entertaining🍻

[@PhattyMcdugen]

You remain one of the few sources of hope that I have in this platform and the greater internet. Your content represents the internet we were promised. Thank you!!!

[@cidmontenegro8225]

sidetracking from the content, but I remember the promise of the internet. Everyone would have all the information, everyone would be so much smarter, everyone would be connected to make better relationships. (generally speaking) It's like the exact opposite happened, sad lol.

[@markgaudry7549]

Your historical commentary is fantastic. Thanks.

[@AndreQuirion]

That's the "guest" beer at my house. It's better than commercial lager, but close enough for the less adventurous drinking (which is totally fine!)

[@nictempleton]

Thanks for bringing the brewing back!

[@beechermeats9797]

For the algorithms bay bay!!!

[@Default78334]

Grandpa was a Kodak man, so I have a bunch of relatives in the Rochester, NY area. Genesee Cream Ale is, to me, the taste of summer with family.

[@mollybeee]

Back in the '80's I worked in a lodge on the Maine/Quebec border that had a private air strip and tunnel to the basement left over from prohibition.

[@lisamoore6804]

My mom loves Little Kings Cream Ale from Cincinnati. I bet she would like yours.

[@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse]

one of our faves! Love those little bottles.

[@lisamoore6804]

@@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse Oh sweet.

[@NikolaHoward]

5.1%!! That's a headbanger! And I say that being a Brit!

[@drop_dtuned6167]

Roots, rock, reggae music. Your music today was a wonderful surprise to hear. For a moment I was building expectations of just the music and watching you bustle through the brew.

[@notsonominal]

Oh, intro music! Jamming and brewing with Glen - I approve!

[@Trains-With-Shane]

Interesting that you mention a "Lawn Mower" beer. Saint Arnold brewery here in Texas makes a brew they call "Lawnmower" lol. And if you've never had it I suggest giving it a try if you find some on your travels. I'm not sure of the breadth of their distribution. Getting some up in Canada may be difficult but as i said, if you see it I think it's worth trying for the qualities that you're looking for with this Cream Ale. Looked like a fun and straightforward brew on that one! Wish I had the space to set up a dedicated space for brewing. Much love to you and Jules from the Lone Star State!

[@MasteringHomebrew]

Im so happy you decided to bring the brewing channel back to life. Not necessarily to learn anything but the production quality is very enjoyable. Enjoyed your cooking channel very much but im no cook. I did make some of your soda pops though. My ASMR so to speak.

[@draculasdaughter36]

Glen! Can you please do a video on your wild yeast? I would love to know how you harvested it and how you cultivated it.

[@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse]

It’s coming up soon!

[@kbjerke]

Appears to be a brew I would enjoy very much. Thanks, Glen! 👍

[@tbernardi001]

Here in the states I used to be able to get a Genesee Cream Ale from New York. I also remember Cinci Cream Ale (The Ugly Waiter, for those that know). Both very crushable beers for a hot summer day on the patio. I just need to convince our local micro brewery to give this a try.

[@Default78334]

I've tried a couple craft cream ales and it's pretty clear that they were benchmarking against Genesee.

[@ajkurp5919]

Love it! I think maybe the last scene wasn't done in one take. Jules is funny.

[@turkyandgravy]

I wish I could like this video twice.

[@nickbriggs9620]

Thank you, thank you, thank you! For starting back up the brewing channel, I’ve always wanted to home brew and you make it so much more approachable than most channels I’ve seen!!!

[@francescaknightYT]

Was Julie a little Tipsy towards the end? 🤣 I'm from the uk, Don't even touch alcohol but love watching your coctails afer Dark series and also watching you brew! (Of course i also love the cooking too! Your videos are always a joy to watch each week Glen and Julie! Sending Autumn hugs across the pond 🇬🇧

[@JTFandBEYOND]

My kind of beer!! 🍻

[@redoorn]

My first really good extract brew was a cream ale. Made a few times since.

[@heavensentlol]

Glen, I've been an avid fan of your channels for years. I'm so happy to see the brewing channel back in business. It makes me and my wife so happy to watch your content.

[@I3urnHard]

if you ever need a nudge what to brew next. The old newcastle brown ale would be fun to watch and follow brew 😄

[@jonmccombs1711]

Great job!

[@Spudnik15]

The Horse Shoe Tavern has been on my bucket list since I was 11 years old after watching Across This Land with Stompin' Tom Connors on Cbc, I did see Teenage Head in 1980 in Edmonton, Great video Glen

[@cathpeterson1944]

always interesting to watch beer being brewed, luv UB40 at the end 👍🏻

[@mattv5281]

It would be nice if you could do a beginner series. For example explain why you do things the way you do, how you figure out the details of different styles, and how to troubleshoot and fix problems along the way if it's not going well. Maybe you have, but I haven't watched all the old videos

[@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse]

There's a video where I brew a 1 gallon beer - a lot more explanation there.

[@BrendanPNW]

Looking forward to the wild yeast video.

[@Mark1JT]

Sounds like a good patio beer.

[@FishyCanada]

Labatt 50 is my lawnmower beer. It goes down so fast and easy that the bottle still has condensation when emptied. Great vid!

[@calandryll]

I would love to have a recipe for this. Teammate introduced us to it and he goes home to pick up a case or two for our hockey tournaments.

[@thegougler]

I have described beers in that category as beers that taste like beer. The most important thing I have found is that they taste clean. No astringency, aggressive maltiness, or heaviness that is common in a lot of other styles. Rice lagers also fit into this category.

[@rowejon]

I really enjoy this, but it seems so technical. My father brewed beer in the UK. He used malt extract & hops. We had an AGA, a large stainless steel pot, a plastic dustbin & a glass fermenting vessel.

[@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse]

At its most basic, that’s real all you need and it’s how we started brewing. You can see some of those videos earlier on the channel.

[@censusgary]

I’d like it if you’d say more about the nuts and bolts of brewing. For example: Why do you use several kinds of grain, instead of one? Why use more than on kind of hops? What are those other tablets, pellets, and powders you put in? You mentioned a few kinds of yeast. What does each one do, in comparison to the others?

[@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse]

I’ve been trying to figure out how to work all of that in without having the video be too long. But the different grains add different flavour and / or different mouthfeel. Yeast is a tougher nut - again mostly different flavour and alcohol amounts.

[@lesliemoiseauthor]

YES

[@abefrohman1759]

Lawnmower beer, snowblower beer it’s fine for winter.

[@johnmckenzie4639]

My favourite beer at the pub was always Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale on draft. So smoooooth. It had a deeper copper colour than yours, I wonder how similar they are. I worked in Guelph back when Sleeman's went back in business. It was quite a big deal. Also, I loved the clip of Stompin' Tom at the 'Shoe.

[@JamesPotts]

I met the author of BeerSmith at a conference, and he seemed like a decent guy.

[@Not_Xander]

Hey Glen! Keep up the great work, love the videos.

[@peterbradburn9115]

Being from southern England, have never come across Cream Ale before, but I like the test of something wet, cold and not too tasty, that you can neck half a dozen of on a nice summer's day 😀

[@cidmontenegro8225]

I'm curious as to the dates of the Canadian Cream Ale scene. Supposedly Cream Ales came to be in the US ("mid-1800's")because the US Ale brewers were losing market share to the lagers brewed by German immigrants, which were crisper and lighter. So they basically made a similar beer, but used ale yeast strains. Because the cream ale didn't require the cold temps and long fermentation times, they could make beer in more places, and create more output in less time, which helped the style be competitive (though it never took a national market lead from lager). But once refrigeration became more available, and the growth of railroads, lagers began to gain traction again and the cream ale began its steady decline to almost being gone by the early 1900's.

[@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse]

It hung on here into the 1930s, and after prohibition came back here and in parts of the Northern US like Genesee Cream ale in NY and Little Kings in Ohio.

[@curtpick628]

Subscribed a few months ago. Always enjoy the work !

[@windlessoriginals1150]

🍺

[@AM2PMReviews]

At the five gallon level, I feel like brew in a bag is better than a three tank system. It’s way less to clean and it’s easier to manage. Less can go wrong, and I get great beer from it. I guess they have three tank systems in larger systems but it seems kind of old school for home brewing now with our electric systems. I didn’t even do a whirlpool with the latest brew since it was a hazy wheat beer and it’s amazing. Maybe I just over complicate things 😂 now I am liking how you didn’t sparge. Maybe that’s not worth it when you can just add more grain.

[@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse]

I'm not even adding more grain - just squeezing the bag.

[@kirkvoelcker5272]

A really nice small beer.

[@katgore99]

Fantastic video! Wish you could send some here❤

[@Dawnbandit1]

I've gotten into homebrewing recently and your videos have been so helpful in learning the science and techniques behind brewing!

[@TechnoGeek18023]

If you haven't seen the Brulosophy podcast and KZbin Channel its worth checking out. I've learned a heaping ton from them.

[@mrbussey]

I'm not big on beer because most are so bitter, but I love the whole process and continue to taste different beers in case there is one I like OR my palate changes with age. I'd be interested in trying this! You ever made a fermented Ginger Ale or Root Beer? I'd love to find some fermented non-hops drinks.

[@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse]

Somewhere on our cooking channel we did a ginger beer

[@mrbussey]

@@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse Yeah! I saw those back when you put them out, but I'm thinking 5% ABV type drinks like Not Your Fathers Root Beer style with malt? Or even mix the roots in larger volumes, like the root beer you made, and use a commercial yeast to get up there? I tinkered with it 10+ years ago and had mixed results. You have MUCH greater knowledge in cooking/brewing which I'm sure would lead to better results. Glad to see you working the Brew House again! Big fan of you, Julie, and Chicken's work!

[@bradmcmahon3156]

Thanks for the info on Canadian prohibition. I don't think it is something a lot of people know about.

[@helenv2906]

Hi Glen, i know this channel on the brew but was wondering if you had a good recipe like restaurant style Sangria. I don't drink hard liquor or beer but i love Sangria and can't find a great recipe for this drink. Thanks! ❤

[@vdubboy85225]

In this episode Glen creates Bud Light 😅

[@MrBaconDaniels]

Is there a video of how and when you put this system together? Is there a ballpark on price of equipment and or where to get it?

[@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse]

the system I used here - none of the parts are made anymore. But in an upcoming video I’ll be starting with a new system.

[@josephkirby1621]

How many pints did you have before the final cut😅😅🇺🇸🍻🇺🇸

[@austin2842]

Glen, I'm considering brewing indoors this winter, like you, but using the spare kitchen I have in my basement. The plan is to replace the existing stove with a 3500W induction plate. Do you know if a standard kitchen hood vent is sufficient, or will I need something more industrial like you have here? Thanks!

[@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse]

For a 1 gallon batch most stove hoods should be ok - the industrial hood I have in the basement is overkill for sure.

[@TechnoGeek18023]

If you really want a 3 vessel system, you could piece one together from used markets. Its how I built my 3 vessel system, I recently picked up 2 30 gallon proper brewing kettles for less than 125 dollars a piece, the big mash Tun I have I got used off a home brew club member.

[@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse]

I keep thinking about it, there always seems to be used equipment available

[@andrewfarabow5880]

I brew on the cheapest/simplest/worst 3-vessel system you can possibly acquire (surplus auction cooler w/ new bazooka screen and ball valve), facebook marketplace boil kettle, stock pot HLT. You could probably throw together a similar system @GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse but with the huge improvement of using your existing RIMS system for the mash (you would need a false bottom or your existing mash bags instead of a bazooka screen though). Ironically, I want to go the other direction and switch to BIAB for convenience, but I haven't because of the cost of a RIMS system.

[@jkuntz667]

A more technical question, why do you have the hood above the "boil pot"? Do you think there is a way to build your set up on a smaller counter top scale. I am the only one who would drink the beer so a smaller setup would be best. I watched your beer in a gallon and it is simple and a great video, but using your large setup shrunk down to a gallon would work better for my situation. Would you share a parts list and I will do the work to see if it is possible? I can share my EMail if preferred. What is a three vessel and why would you like one?

[@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse]

the hood is to collect and remove steam - you are boiling to reduce the wort and concentrate the sugar. you boil out maybe 1/5 of the water. If you are interested in doing 1 gallon, check out our video from three weeks ago.

[@aolcot]

Wow that pump is really powerful, what make/model is it? Thanks for the video, enjoyed

[@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse]

That is a Chugger Pump TCPSS-CI 1/8hp it’s a great pump, though a bit loud.

[@jimbrennan1181]

One of the reasons for the lack of head is the way that you're oxygenating. Your foaming properties only exist at a certain level so if you're foaming it up when you rack to the fermenter those will be lost. Now, is it worth going back to running oxygen through a stone, I don't know, that's up to you. Maybe just calm it down a bit. Great recipe BTW.

[@larrysbk]

Who scorched you Apple Box?😯

[@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse]

I’m not sure what job that happened on, it’s been that way for a while.

[@kellybryson7754]

As I cook, I can keep up with your cooking channel. But, in this channel I need to go google a bunch of stuff so I can learn what you're talking about. But it is interesting.

[@jimbo4375]

Steam beer was another big style that was killed off with prohibition with the exception of the Anchor

[@NamedUserNamedUser]

Is the yeast nutrient used here DAP or something else? Also, does it matter which one is used?

[@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse]

I've used a bunch of different ones, and also not used any... I don't notice a difference.

[@nickcentrone1679]

Are you using tap water or do you have a filter download?

[@nickcentrone1679]

Downline

[@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse]

Straight up Toronto tap water with a lactic acid addition and a Campden tablet. City of Toronto does fairly regular water reports and the water is pretty good for brewing without much adjustment - it comes from the bottom of lake Ontario. The local GTA Brews club also does independent analysis of the water that they publish as well. Both reports match.

[@nickcentrone1679]

Interesting

[@jkuntz667]

Is six row 4 rows better than two row

[@jkuntz667]

Thank you for doing more videos on this channel. I watch your other two channels regularly they are appreciated. A form of entertainment I enjoy. I apologize for the bad joke.

[@RuudP]

Did you carbonate by dosing extra sugar or with the help of a CO2 gas cilinder?:

[@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse]

this was force carbonated with CO2

[@CantankerousDave]

Lawnmower beer? That like bathtub gin?

[@quarlow1215]

You know you can remove the handle from your grinder and chuck a drill on the shaft for easy powered grinding?

[@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse]

of course - but why?

[@quarlow1215]

@GlenAndFriendsBrewHouse I get ya, somethings just don't need to be rushed. It's not like you are grinding 30 or 40 lbs. Anyways, I do like the Sleemans beers. Their Honey brown ale is very tasty with little hop flavors.