1 Brewing in the Medieval Period: How Beer and Ale Developed Into A

Brewing in the Medieval Period: How Beer and Ale Developed into a Commercial Industry Marshall Abbott HST 407: Religion and the Crusades March 21, 2018 1 Introductory Material The fog is just beginning to lift on a cold London morning when an ale brewster raises a flag in front of her brew house indicating that a new batch of beer is ready. The purpose of the flag is not to notify the public that the new batch is ready for sale. Rather, it is to beckon the Alkonneres, the official taster of ale, that the new batch is ready for inspection. It is the responsibility of the Alkonneres to sample each new batch of beer or ale that is brewed in London to determine if the beer or ale is suitable for public consumption and to set the price at which it may be sold.1 Alkonneres were first established in London, England in C.E. 1377 and adopted by many other towns and cities of England. Their purpose was to prevent the sale of low quality beer and ale.2 The use of Alkonneres is but one example of how societies responded to the growing commercialization of beer and ale in the medieval period. The brewing of beer and ale is not unique to the Middle Ages but it was at this time that brewing transitioned from a domestic endeavor with the primary goal of creating a beverage for personal consumption, to the production of beer and ale in larger quantities for consumption by many individuals, such as in a monastery, to brewing in much larger quantities of scale for the sole purpose of selling a product as a market commodity. By examining texts from the period as well as secondary sources, this paper analyzes how this transition occurred and what significant developments took place that allowed beer and ale to become a tradable and profitable good on the European market. Specifically, it examines the development of brewing as a tripartite progression: (a) that beer and ale were brewed in the 1 P. W. Hammond, Food and Feast In Medieval England, (Phoenix Mill: Wrens Park Publishing, 1998), 84. 2 Hammond, Food and Feast, 84. 2 home and the significance of domestic brewing on the local society and economy; (b) that beer and ale were brewed in monasteries and the significance monastic brewing had on the monks, local peasants, and local lords; and (c) that brewing became a commercial enterprise that was profitable and even revered as a profession. In examining these three sub-developments this article investigates that brewing impacted Europe’s local and regional economies and the importance of beer and ale to both society and culture in the medieval period. Background Material A Note on Names Beer has been brewed for thousands of years by many cultures. The nomenclature for beer has evolved over time. What is referred to in one text as beer may be referenced in another text as ale. To alleviate some confusion throughout this article, fermented beverages derived from grain will be referred to as ale, while fermented beverages derived from grain with hop plant additives will be referred to as beer. The principle difference between the two is the absence or presence of hop plant additives.3 This is a historical distinction and should not be confused with modern definitions for ale and beer. The two terms are often used interchangeably in historical documents and it is sometimes unclear if a text, be it a primary or secondary source, means to reference the brew as ale or beer. A Brief Explanation of the Brewing Process and Early History 3 “Ale,” Oxford Dictionaries, February 12, 2018, https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/ale. 3 Brewing beer or ale has been done in the home, primarily by women, for thousands of years. Until the age of industrialization, the process remained relatively constant. The first step in the brewing process includes the making of malt, partly germinated grain, usually barley, wheat, rye or oats, that forms the base of the beer. Depending on the circumstance of the brewer the malt may be made by the brewer or purchased from a maltster or other supplier. 4 In either case the brewer or maltster begins by soaking the grain in water in order to hydrate the seed. After twelve to twenty-four hours the water is removed and the seed allowed to partially germinate. This process of germination converts the starches of the seed into sugars that can be used later. For several days the wetted grain is turned and mixed to prevent the growth of mold and to evenly distribute the radiant heat that is generated by the grain.5 The germination is stopped after a few days, usually by drying the grain in a kiln or other heat source. When the malt is made it is placed into a hot water bath and allowed to steep for several hours. The liquid or wort, sometimes referred to as sweet wort due to its high sugar content, is then strained from the spent grain and placed in a pot or cauldron and allowed to boil over a fire. At this point the brewer may add various plants, such as hops, to the boiling wort to change the flavor profile or for other desired effects.6 After the wort has boiled for an hour or more and allowed to cool, the yeast is added which was usually saved from the last batch of beer or ale. The yeast is allowed to ferment, converting the sugars into alcohol and CO2. While brewers in the Middle Ages did not understand the microbiological origins of yeast they did understand it to be an essential ingredient in beer and ale. 4 Richard W. Unger, Beer in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004), 4. 5 Unger, Beer in the Middle Ages, 4. 6 Unger, Beer in the Middle Ages, 5. 4 Prior to the Christianization of Europe, the process of fermentation was often thought of as a mystical affair. People often thought that the knowledge of brewing was a gift from the gods. In Norse culture for example, there are many stories involving Odin giving the gift of mead, fermented honey, to humans.7 If a brewer did not have a yeast sample saved, they would start a wild fermentation: a small batch of wort would be placed an open area, perhaps a forest clearing, to collect the wild yeast that floats in the air invisible to the naked eye. This process perpetuated the idea that beer and ale were a gift of the gods in pre Christian Europe.8 After Christianity spread through Europe, such pagan beliefs would have lessened in popular culture but the microbiological process of yeast production and fermentation would still not be known until the modern period. After the yeast is added, the brew is set aside and allowed to ferment. This primary fermentation usually takes a few days to a week. When fermentation is done, the beer or ale may then be consumed or stored for secondary fermentation or aging. This was done in some cases for beer, but less often for ale. As the beer or ale is allowed to age, the brew may take on slightly different flavors, similar to wine which can change its flavor profile with time9 Though beer and ale have been brewed for thousands of years, the very early history of brewing is largely shrouded in mystery. Little or no information was recorded and preserved by the people who brewed. It was not until the period of ancient Rome that written accounts of brewing began to appear. From this point through the Middle Ages, written records become more prevalent and reliable.10 Conclusions may nevertheless be drawn from these accounts and recent 7 Jereme Zimmerman, Make Mead Like a Viking: Traditional Techniques for Brewing Natural, Wild-Fermented, Honey-Based Wines and Beers, (White River Junction, 2015), 12-16. 8 Zimmerman, Make Mead Like a Viking 78-81. 9 Unger, Beer in the Middle Ages, 5-6. 10 Unger, Beer in the Middle Ages, 7. 5 archeological and archaeobotanical research. This early history which begins prior to the Roman period and continues through around the seventh century C.E. comprises the first stage of brewing history: small scale brewing done almost exclusively in a domestic setting. The first accounts of brewing beer and ale in northern Europe comes from the Germanic peoples, an Indo-European ethnic group with Northern European origins. The Germanic people did not keep records for themselves because they were illiterate. Hence, little is known about the early brewing practices of the Germanic people except for those records kept by the Romans and other explorers from the same era. One of the earliest accounts of northern European brewing is from Pytheas, a Massilian navigator in the fourth century B.C.E. Pytheas traveled to many unknown lands including Britain, where he wrote, “they who used grain and honey, made also a drink of it.”11 This reference to honey and grain is evidence that the people of Britain were familiar with the fermentation of both ale and mead, a fermented beverage derived from honey. A Roman account from the first century B.C.E. continues to illustrate the brewing and drinking practices of early northern Europeans, in particular the Gauls: “Since the climate is cold, their country produces neither wine nor olives… and they for this reason prepare for themselves a beverage made of barley, so-called beer (zythos, Diodorus wrote in Greek).”12 This account comes from Diodorus, a writer living in the time of Caesar.

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