A Brief History of Brewsters
An alewife meets a customer
Brewster is the old English word for a female brewer. Today, it is a word that remains as a relatively common surname and nntil recently it was the legal name for the Magistrate court meetings in England where pub licences were renewed or granted; these meetings were called Brewster Sessions. It is still used in the brewing trade, since Sara is a female brewer and no one else was called Brewster's Brewing Company so it seemed an good name to start selling beer under. In medieval times women brewed and sold most of the ale drunk in England. With the introduction of hops, which helped preserve beer, it was found beer could be distributed more widely and find wider markets. As a result beer was produced on a larger scale and as time passed it became a trade that eventually became dominated by male brewers who began to brew beer with hops on an industrial scale.
in addition to the change in ingredients the poor old Brewsters were probably the victims of misogynistic spin against them and they developed a terrible reputation over the years which helped put them out of business. However some of the accusations levelled against
in addition to the change in ingredients the poor old Brewsters were probably the victims of misogynistic spin against them and they developed a terrible reputation over the years which helped put them out of business. However some of the accusations levelled against
them sound remarkably similar to some of today's drinkers gripes. They were accused of serving short measures, adulterating their products and charging unfairly high prices. They were also supposed to have brewed with substandard products and kept very unruly alehouses with "other women" to help encourage trade.
Apparently there was much written about the Brewsters in old English literature and some of it with bawdy affection. One
Apparently there was much written about the Brewsters in old English literature and some of it with bawdy affection. One
