Fragrant Ale in it’s proper old 1500’s stages is something I would really like to try. According to ANDREW BOORDE in a Dietary of Englysshe Helff:
“Ale is made of malte and water; and they the which do put any other thynge to ale than is rehersed, except yest, barme or GODESGOOD, doth sofyticat theyr ale. Ale for an Engglysche man is anaturall drinke. Ale must have these propertyes; it must be fresshe and cleare, it muste not be ropy nor smoky, nor it must have no weft nor tayle”.
[CAMRA MEMBER]Although I bet the amount of hops they put in bitter these days might as well be infintesimal enough to make it real actual ale chiz chiz mumble[/CAMRA MEMBER]. Not that I bet I could tell.
Mr Boorde apparently has also drunk Carlsberg in his time, for this is him on the DUTCH.
“Bere is made of malte, of hoppes, and water; it is the naturall drinke for a Dutche man (1) and now of lete dayes it is much used in England to the detryment of many Englysshe people; specyally it killeth them the which be trouble with the colkye (2); and the stone and the strangulion (3); for drynke is a cold drynke, yet it doth make a man fat (4), and doth inflate the bely, as it doth appere by the Dutche men’s faces and belyes”.
If any readers can defend Dutch booze (ho ho Carlsberg = mingfest2k3 do not bovver) then please write in to the usual address. I only know of Carlsberg and GENEVER which is gods own gift but even then, the best gin = PLYMOUTH GIN num num.
This all nicked from the grebt BEER AND SKITTLES book by Richard Boston, in 1976. He also talks about crisps in pubs, highly recommends a hard to find young upstart brand. The name? “Walkers”.
(1) hem hem too early for GIN!!! poor times indeed!
(2) I think this is THE 16C for “ruin”
(3) The London Bootleg Orchestra?
(4) Obv in those days BEER = Weight Gain 20000