January 24, 2005

• I thought women invented beer, and that ale-wives had a monopoly on production until the end of the Middle Ages. But then, according to Google, ale-wives are some kind of fish: so obviously I'm suffering some severe cognitive impairment. Possibly caused by beer. Or fish.
• Beer: Gift of the Goddess Ninkasi
• I was asking a historian (who's also a brewer) about the alewives versus industrial brewing a while back. He was saying that large scale brewing by male craftsmen got going circa 1300 (if I recall correctly), just about the time hops were introduced to English beer. Apparently you have to boil your stuff in huge pots for hopped beer, but it keeps longer. Physically, it lends itself to mass production. That's not to say household production was replaced - especially in large households, it would go on for centuries. But there was also apparently a large market for this large quantity (if not mass) produced beer already in the late middle ages. Another historian had already told me that (by the eighteenth century) most alewives would purchase the beer to sell in their alehouses. That's why I was asking about production, because I wanted to know more about this idea of women brewing small amounts to sell, and whether it was true. Still somewhat inconclusive - I know that individual women were brewing (because I've seen that in the archives), but not how much it predominated or didn't. Probably there was a long transitory period where both large production and small was side by side for centuries.
• It still is! I've got a barrel of stout a-brewin' in my basement as we speak.
• Are we talking about the difference between beer and small beer, jb? And yes, home brewing is still the done thing in some circles. I have a number of friends who do it for fun. (on preview: like Freen!) *thinks about jokes about splitting the beer atom from Young Einstein*
• I think you are quite right, Plegmund. There were human alewives. There was a transition over time from it being "women's work"(scroll down a bit for this one) to becoming a male dominated commercial industry after the 18th century. (Apologies in advance for any crappy links. This was done in rather a hurry)
• Freen! I have an IPA in my secondary. Bottling Wednesday. And grain for a munich in the cooler awaiting my strike water. There is no better drink than the beer you've seen personally from grain to glass.
• If memory serves, EnormousStLouisBrewer-who-shall-go-nameless because they are hard to spell and because they suck, invented Michelob to appeal primarily to XX's back in the early sixties. Makes me wanna start homebrewing again... so many hobbies, so little time.
• *pulls out notebook, waits patiently for Freen and Fes to post their addresses*
• I thought Zima was the first "beer" for women?? Beer snobs might argue otherwise, as it's only beer in manufacture, not in nature. ...thoughts?
• There's nothing natural about Zima. Was it even marketed as beer? I'm another homebrewer, ready to keg a nice brown ale.
• we should start a brew swap...?
• Honey Amber Rose? I thought I was clicking on a link to a stripper.
• I can't believe I'm the first person to comment on just how tacky and poorly written that website is. There's no way you could get me to drink that beer.
• I'm with MsVader. Dear Christ. I wouldn't drink that beer if it was the last beer on earth. Does putting a romantic spin on beer really make it that much more appealing to women? I seriously hope not. Give me a good Guinness commercial any day.
• The Glamour Shots in the "Who's A Honey?" are, um, interesting. I can't figure out what has Kirsten Smith around the neck.
• Seems to me the only market they have a hope in hell of appealing to is the illusive women-who-like-beer-but-think-beer-is-too-butch-to-drink crowd. I suppose they might go for this, but then there'd be the quandary of whether to drink it straight from the bottle, so everyone could see they were drinking 'lady's beer', or find a bone china teacup. Arrrrrr!
• Interestingly, it was the women factory workers during WWII that changed Budweiser's formula to its current "light tasting" umm . . .self. Before it had been a little heartier but the women wanted something lighter. No, I don't have links. Google it yerself and call me on it if it's wrong . . . Signed, Mr. Crankypants
• it was the women factory workers during WWII that changed Budweiser's formula But not until after they fought each other about it. In sheer flimsy nightgowns. Under a sprinkler. Signed, Mr. Hornypants
• I wish to drink some Ladybeer I sip with pinky curled. It is so bland, sublimely clear It's been LaVerne and Shirled.
• Rocket's version is far better. If only it had monkeys in it. But I've been to St. Louis. No monkeys, unless you want to count last year's Cardinals pitching staff.
• immlass - I was thinking of both. I read a court case once (1621 - Earls Colne, Essex), where one witness (discussing the poor character of this woman) described a woman who lied to her husband - she told him she was making small beer, but the witness said she really made a small barrell of strong beer to get drunk on. She was a farmer's wife, I think (being accused of adultery, or maybe suing people for saying she committed adultery?) I was just interested when I was told how it was a commercial industry in London very early (middle ages), while still apparently remaining a domestic industry for a long time as well (at least by inventories I have seen, this court case, etc). I was asking because I had been told by historian at a conference (a bit dismissively) that alewives didn't their own, they were all buying it from big brewers, like the Whitbreads would be in the late 18th/early 19th century. He didn't say exactly when he was talking about, but the conference was a 16-18th century one. Probably it was somewhat inbetween, indeed, like today (but maybe a little more wide-spred on the domestic brewing). Other cool things I learned about hops, from my brewing, medieval history grad friend: it preserves the beer. Before that, beer was suposed to be sold before it was 10 days old (or it was bad beer). Hops based beers became very dominant in England, though where they originated (Germany) they were made alongside non-hop beers for a long time.
• Anybody tasted this? And c'mon. I mean, I'm a guy, so my opinion might be based more on supposition, but don't women not like being condescended to? My girlfriend drinks stouts and porters, bitters and bests, with nary a whine for a "woman's beer." Rose hips? Who knew women needed beer to taste like decorative soap in order to drink it? This site is shitty, and the beer looks shitty. With the backstory seemingly highlighting lesbian love, at least they could make the beer taste like pussy instead of gramma candy.
• Um, yeah. Give me a real beer ... or better yet, a nice scotch ... anytime. I don't like patronizing marketing campaigns.
• ...rosehips sound kind of yummy, they make good tea...
• *applauds fish tick*
• Isn't small beer leftovers from the bottom of the glasses that were poured into a trough behind a bar and sold cheaply? /iggerant
• No, that's slops. And 'swipes' is (I believe) what the potboy wrings out of his cloth after wiping all the tables - hence the facetious expression "mug o' swipes, please, landlord." Gratified to hear I wasn't deluded about the ale-wives. Weren't hops an illegal additive in England to begin with, jb? I think there were gruit beers with things like borage in, and perhaps hops were seen as a competitor. I'd look it up if I wasn't in danger of missing my train...
• ...ok, here we are. The story of gruits. I suspect this account is not completely impartial. I'm sure hops are considered to have preservative qualities (isn't that why they put them in IPA (India Pale Ale), so that it would survive the journey out East?
• No, that's slops. Thanks, Pleg, I'd read my erroneous conception of "small beer" somewhere or other (I think it might have been in "Extraordinary Popular Delusions", but I couldn't say for sure), but yeah, thx. k. 11!
• I'm sure hops are considered to have preservative qualities (isn't that why they put them in IPA (India Pale Ale), so that it would survive the journey out East? That is exactly why, and why India Pale Ales are marked by their bitterness. As the trip to India was long, so the quantity of hops required to keep the ale was higher, and thus the bitterness naturally imparted by the hops greater.
• But did the Indians appreciate the incalculable effort this took? NO. That's why Mr Ghandi took his country away from us, the horrid little beast. /P Cook.
• The slops are also known as a Hairy Buffallo. Be wary when your friend orders one for you, and none for himself.
• i thought a hairy buffalo was grain alcohol and kool-aid. but maybe not. all i know is a crotch-grabber is vodka, lemonade concentrate and beer.