> Ale: An unhopped beer, which provided a significant
> intake of people's carbohydrate intake, brewed usually
> from barley malt, but also from wheat, oats and rye
> (regarded as the worst).
Dear god! I regard rye-ale as the best by far. Or the mixture of oat and rye. But then you probably prefer wheat bread to rye bread also (so strange to me).
> Ale was flavoured with herbs
> in a mix called gruit or grout. Daily intake was about
> 2-4 pints, however ale is weak especially from later
> washings of the mash (first water is strongest, small
> ale is weakest). Unlike beer, ale does not keep well
> (not hopped) so making ale was a weekly household
> activity. Viking beer lasted about 1 week, and was
> best a couple of days after manufacture as it was
> still fermenting. After that, it was fit only for
> pigs. Serving week old ale would be an insult to a
> guest. Ale making is a hearth/stead activity, not for
> specialized brewers. Women generally did the brewing.
Yes, this is exactly what I was trying to say in my previous message. Also I think that the use of juniper branches can help in the preservation. Mixing herbs to ale would be quite optional IMO.
> Mead: Made from honey, water, and yeast.
This reminds me of the question of yeast. Do people in Heortling society know yeast? To my knowledge the brewers of old didn't know the essence of yeast but knew that old equipment worked the best and used traditional stirring staffs (with strong yeast fungus) to make successful ales etc.
> Traditionally
> mead was the drink of kings and poetic inspiration,
> especially when spiced (metheglin). Steads would not
> make mead; mead is the drink for the king or chief's
> hall. It is strongly alcoholic (about 10-18%) and in
> the US is classified as a wine, not a beer. Whereas
> ale, beer, and cider are food, mead is a drink.
Absolutely agree here.
Otto
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