Recently learned this. Back in the day, women brewers would make beer in big cauldrons at the market place, wear big pointy hats so the customers could spot them easily, and had cats to chase away the mice that ate the raw materials. When monasteries started brewing beer they suddenly discovered that the women who were their competition were also WITCHES!!!
I doubt you’d be boiling the wort at a marketplace, even for small beer you’re looking at a week or more of ferment.
Selling it from a tun at the market, having a characteristic dress (and probably call), is very consistent with European retail traditions. “Fishwives” were famous for their shrill, sharp calls for example.
The modern equivalent I guess is the ice cream truck; they pretty much all have the same livery and play the same recorded organ tunes. Just imagine that approach for every product category.
Recently learned this. Back in the day, women brewers would make beer in big cauldrons at the market place, wear big pointy hats so the customers could spot them easily, and had cats to chase away the mice that ate the raw materials. When monasteries started brewing beer they suddenly discovered that the women who were their competition were also WITCHES!!!
I wonder if that’s actually true, but I don’t want to know it isn’t
If it plays into your biases then it’s probably true.
Just the confirmation I was looking for.
A cute just-so story, but i’d bet it’s more complicated than that.
Sounds about right for every locally dominant organized religion.
(edit) the original comment, I mean. Not the reply.
I doubt you’d be boiling the wort at a marketplace, even for small beer you’re looking at a week or more of ferment.
Selling it from a tun at the market, having a characteristic dress (and probably call), is very consistent with European retail traditions. “Fishwives” were famous for their shrill, sharp calls for example.
The modern equivalent I guess is the ice cream truck; they pretty much all have the same livery and play the same recorded organ tunes. Just imagine that approach for every product category.
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