Beer and the Black Death

Two significant events in the 14th century had a major impact on the consumption and production of beer in England. The first was the Black Death (which reached its peak in 1348). So many people died during the plague years that when it was over, there was a labour shortage. Healthy labourers were in such demand they could name their price. No longer on subsistence wages, a significant percentage of this disposable income was spent on beer. More ale houses opened and the social landscape of the country changed.

The second factor was the Hundred Years War fought between England and France (1337 to 1453). Soldiers received a daily ration of eight pints of beer. Such demand by the military meant that a secure and reliable supply was required. Women brewing in the home could not provide enough beer. It was time to brew beer on a large scale in factories (breweries). Women did not usually work outside the home, and they were not permitted to own their own property (in marriage it belonged to their husband). They also could not take out bank loans. All this meant that women could not own breweries. This was the start of the decline in females being the primary brewers.

Today's female brewers

For the first time the current British brewer of the year is a woman. Her name is Sara Barton and she runs her own brewery, Brewsters in Grantham. I have brewed several collaborative beers with Sara including one called Beer o' Clock to coincide with the publication of my latest book, also called Beer o' Clock. Currently in this country, most brewers and beer drinkers are male but the more that women see other women brewing, drinking and evangelising about beer, the more women will be inspired to think that beer is their drink too, and that brewing is career for them. Brewing beer is just like cooking but with bigger vessels and more washing up! Sara Barton is a great supporter of women in brewing and she founded a group called Project Venus where all the women in the UK and Eire who brew professionally get together every few months and create and brew a beer. It's fun and sociable.

Delicious beer and food matchings

There is a myth that wine is the best thing to match with food. Yes some wine can be wonderful with food but it does have its limitations. Beer is much more versatile with food and it can do things that wine cannot - for instance match brilliantly with spicy food and a vast selection of desserts in a way that wine does not. Beer contains carbon dioxide which efficiently scrubs the palate of food and means that the flavours of the beer and food come together and create harmony. If you are interested in knowing which food goes with which beers there is plenty of advice in my Beer o' Clock book. If you have eschewed beer in the past because you think it is too bitter, maybe you have not tried a variety of beer styles. Not all beer is bitter! There are over 100 styles of beer to try and there may be one just for you. And with bitter beers, the food will often take the edge off the bitterness.

Here are some of my favourite beer and food pairings from Ocado.

Women and beer: a pocket history