Feeling patriotic? Stop drinking that sickening imported swill right now, and brew the most American beer of all time: George Washington's beer, made from a recipe he wrote in his Notebook as a Virginia Colonel.

New York Public Library holds the recipe as part of its collection, and to celebrate the centennial of its Steven A. Schwartzman building, has commissioned the Schmaltz Brewing Company (which makes He'brew and Coney Island Lager) to recreate it. Alas, the folks at Schmaltz are only brewing 15 gallons, and worse, like liberal Supreme Court justices, they've interpreted Washington's beer recipe as a "living document" and tweaked it slightly.

But fear not! Strict beer-stitutionalists can still make their own, from this recipe below.

To make Small Beer

Take a large Sifter full of Bran Hops to your Taste. - Boil these 3 hours. Then strain out 30 Gallons into a Cooler, put in 3 Gallons Molasses while the Beer is scalding hot or rather drain the molasses into the Cooler & strain the Beer on it while boiling Hot. Let this stand till it is little more than Blood warm. Then put in a quart of Yeast if the weather is very cold, cover it over with a Blanket & let it work in the Cooler 24 hours. Then put it into the Cask - leave the Bung[hole] open till it is almost done working - Bottle it that day Week it was Brewed.

That's right: General Washington said "bunghole."

[WSJ]