School of Booze. Think While You Drink.

A Brewster in Witch's Clothing?

Picture the popular image of a witch – black cat, broomstick, pointed hat, bubbling cauldron. These also the motifs associated with England’s female brewers and ale-wives in the medieval era. 

Is it a coincidence that the image of medieval brewsters so closely resembles the popular image of a witch, or was foul play perpetrated by persons who wanted to malign female brewers in an era when witch hunting was rife? 

FACTS

• During the medieval period the majority of brewers in England were women.  Brewing was low status, low paid work largely performed by women in the home as part of their household duties.

• Ale was a staple of the diet providing valuable nutrition, a safe source of drinking water, and fun! Surplus ale was sold by middle-women called ale-wives, hucksters, or tipplers.

So how are the witch motifs connected with female brewers?

• Cats. Malted cereal is an essential ingredient in brewing.  Cats keep hungry vermin at bay and prevent mice and rats from eating the malts.

• Broom . An everyday household implement that also resembles an ale-stake.   An ale-stake was a pole to which twigs or greenery were attached at one end. By law, purveyors of ale had to display an ale-stake above their door as a sign to customers, and the authorities that ale was sold at those premises.

• Pointed hat.  No-one left home without wearing a titfer.  And a high crowned hat would permit ale-wives to be easily identified in the street.

• Bubbling Cauldron.  Ale is made by boiling water and malt together.  Before electricity was used for heat, cooking was done over a fire in a metal container.  When the malt and water cooled, the yeast went to work creating a bubbling froth as it fermented sugars in the brew. In the medieval period people did not understand what yeast was.  To them something supernatural happened as water and cereal was transformed into alcohol.  In other words, it was magic.

Why Were Women Edged Out of Brewing in England?

• In medieval England there was a revolution in brewing when hops were introduced from Europe.  Hops give aroma, flavour, bitterness, and are a natural preservative.

• In the medieval period ale contained no hops, but beer did. Ale went sour very quickly but the hops in beer gave it a longer shelf life which meant brewing became a lucrative trade as beer could be transported to new markets without losing its quality as quickly as ale did.

• Society needed a regular source of ale and beer and so the authorities restricted its production to a small group of reliable brewers who were members of the brewing guild.  Women were not permitted to join guilds and were edged out of brewing.

• People did not understand how yeast worked to ferment the sugars in the brew and convert it to alcohol.  To them magic was involved in turning water and cereal into a bubbling froth (the yeast) that created beer.

• Rumours were often spread about the local brewster – questioning the quality of her ale; suggesting that she cheated customers; that she was dirty; or that she kept a disorderly ale-house.

• Witch hunting in Medieval England was rife so it was simple to ostracise a woman from society by accusing her of witchcraft.  Does this explain the connection between the brewer’s tools of trade and the popular image of a witch?

Brewing Competition for Women

Did you know that women were the original brewers of beer?  For the majority of beer’s thousands years of history, women were the primary beer brewers because beer was food and women were in charge of food production. All the deities of beer are female, including the Sumerian goddess Ninkasi.

Nowadays there is still a dearth of female brewers so Jane Peyton, Principal of the School of Booze is on a mission to inspire more women to brew and drink beer.  Beer is full of nutrition, and in moderation, has proven health benefits.  And the connection with beer and bellies is a myth!

If you’re a women and fancy having a go at brewing beer then why not enter a competition to invent your very own beer. Whoever wins will brew their beer alongside founder and head brewer Sara Barton at Brewster’s Brewery.  And it may even go on sale through Brewster’s outlets!

To make this competition even tastier, entrants will take inspiration from Britain’s leading producer of Fairtrade chocolate, Divine and devise a beer recipe inspired by one of their brands. If the brand is Divine Dark Chocolate with Orange and Ginger then the beer recipe might be an IPA containing citrus and spicy hops.

So why not become a 21st century goddess of beer and enter the competition to brew Ninkasi’s Nectar.  Competition ends on December 31st 2011.

For more details see: http://www.school-of-booze.com/ninkasis-nectar-brewing-competition

Jane Peyton, Principal of the School of Booze