to some that women do not play much of a role at all, besides as props in ads. This could not be
further from the truth, currently there are women all over the world working within every facet
of the beer industry. Whether it be sommeliers, sales reps, hop farmers, or even head brewster
at some of the oldest and most historic breweries or some of the newest ground breaking ones.
Brewster is actually the feminine form of brewer, an established term to connote the long
established role women have played in brewing history, seeing as they were the very first
brewers. Over time the roles have varied and developed along with the beer industry …show more content…
Having recently adopting and agricultural lifestyle as
opposed to a hunter gather society, grains were among the first crops. Grains were treated …show more content…
These resident women who looked after their home and also the well
being of the community that gathered in their taverns were dubbed “ale wives”. Quality
regulations still existed, a bad brew was punished by flogging. But in contrast the husbands were
held accountable for their wives bad brews. Not all women who brewed were located in
centralized areas, many women living on the outskirts of English towns brewed, for themselves,
to bring to market, or even to serve to thirsty travellers making their way from town to town. It
was customary for households with surplus beer to display this with an ‘ale stake’ a wooden stick
with twigs and occasionally hop flowers tied to the end and mounted out the front door7
communicated to passer by that ale could be purchased here, it also doubled as a broom. These
women would brew up large pots, or cauldrons ale over an open fire, frothy with wild yeast
fermenting. Many of these women would be so busy with their brewing and experimenting that
they enlisted female assents to go to market to sell their brews, these women traditionally wore
tall pointy hats so as to be easily distinguished in a crowd. These early brewsters were also