Raeren Pottery Jug

Wine bottles as we know them were not found in medieval and renaissance europe. Beer and wine were fermented and stored in wooden barrels. Pottery jugs were most commonly used to serve beverages. In order to present my brews in a more authentic manner, I recently purchased a reproduction of this type of jug, which was common in Germany and England in the early to mid 16th century.

2000 years of pottery forms and shapes Early Post-medieval AD 1450 - 1600

Common name Rhenish stonewares

Class Baluster drinking jug and rounded drinking cup

Height left, 240mm right, 180mm

Identifier PW36

Production centre in the vicinity of Siegburg, Rhineland

Distribution across northern Europe

Use drinking vessels

Date 16th century AD

Published in Mellor 1997b, Fig 7, 9

Historic context the tall vessel was found in the making of King Edward Street,
Oxford and the other vessel was found in digging for foundations on the site of the
Three Cups Inn, Queen Street, Oxford

Tractatus de Magnetate et Operationibus Eius

Original Recipe:
Tractatus de Magnetate et Operationibus Eius

Folio 20r

//ffor to make mede. Tak .i. galoun of fyne hony and to þat .4. galouns of water and hete
þat water til it be as lengh þanne dissolue þe hony in þe water. thanne set hem ouer þe fier &
let hem boyle and ever scomme it as longe as any filthe rysith þer on. and þanne tak it doun of
þe fier and let it kole in oþer vesselle til it be as kold as melkwhan it komith from þe koow.
than tak drestisof þe fynest ale or elles berme and kast in to þe water& þe hony. and stere al
wel to gedre but ferst loke er þu put þy berme in. that þe water with þe hony be put in a fayr
stonde & þanne put in þy berme or elles þi drestis for þat is best & stere wel to gedre/ and ley
straw or elles clothis a bowte þe vessel & a boue gif þe wedir be kolde and so let it stande .3.
dayes & .3. nygthis gif þe wedir be kold And gif it be hoot wedir .i. day and .1. nyght is a
nogh at þe fulle But ever after .i. hour or .2. at þe moste a say þer of and gif þu wilt have it
swete tak it þe sonere from þe drestis & gif þu wilt have it scharpe let it stand þe lenger þer 
with. Thanne draw it from þe drestis as cler as þu may in to an oþer vessel clene & let it
stonde .1. nyght or .2. & þanne draw it in to an oþer clene vessel & serve it forth//

Redaction:

For to Make Mead

Dissolve 1 gallon of honey in 4 gallons of water.  Boil for as long as the scum rises.
Remove to a clean vessel.  Allow it to cool until it is the temperature of milk from the cow.  
Add the lees of ale or barm. Cover with cloth or straw. After a few days remove from lees.  
Allow it to stand for a day or two, then serve.

Notes:

This mead was brewed using killer bee honey

Because I did not have barm or lees available from ale, I used Lavlin KV1116 yeast in this recipe. 
(Ale yeast would have been more accurate, but I did not have any available when I started this batch.)
 The yeast was activated in warm water prior to being added to the carboy.

The recipe specifically states that it is important that the vessel be clean, and that the vessel be covered with cloth.  Instead of an open tub covered with cloth, this batch fermented in a sanitized glass carboy with an air lock.

Although the recipe implies that this mead was meant to be consumed in a couple of days, this batch of mead has been allowed to fully ferment and age in order to keep the bottles from exploding. 
The original text does state that it is acceptable to allow it to ferment longer for a sharper taste.
.2. at þe moste a say þer of and gif þu wilt have it swete tak it þe sonere from þe drestis & gif þu wilt have it
scharpe let it stand þe lenger þer with.

Hydromel as I made it weak for the Queen Mother

Hydromel as I Made It Weak For the Queen Mother

(The Old Lady Mead)

Take 18 quarts of spring-water, and one quart of honey; when the water is   
warm, put the honey into it. When it boileth up, skim it very well, and   
continue skimming it, as long as any scum will rise. Then put in one Race   
[root] of Ginger (sliced in thin slices), four Cloves, and a little sprig   
of green Rosemary. Let these boil in the Liquor so long, till in all it   
have boiled one hour. Then set it to cool, till it be blood-warm, and   
then put to it a spoonful of Ale-yest [yeast]. When it is worked up, put   
it into a vessel of a fit size; and after two or three days, bottle it   
up. You may drink it after six weeks, or two months.

Thus was the Hydromel made that I gave the Queen, which was exceedingly liked by
everybody.

      The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby, Knight, Opened (1699)

Redaction:

Boil 1 quart of honey in 18 quarts of water, skimming the scum from the top of the carboy.
Add to it finely sliced ginger root,  two cloves, and a sprig of rosemary. Boil these for 1 hour.
Allow to cool until blood warm. Pitch with ale yeast. It will be ready to drink in 6 weeks to 2
months.

Methodology and Notes:

This mead was brewed using clover honey, tap water, and SafAle S-33 yeast.

The ginger and rosemary used in this recipe were grown in my garden.  
(They are in containers that are over-wintered indoors.)

I researched what was meant by a race of ginger.  It can mean a root, or a joint of a
root, or a sprig of ginger.  I interpreted this to mean a piece of a ginger root approximately

2 inches long. https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/race/

I followed the recipe, allowing the mixture to come to a boil, skimming, and then
adding the flavorings and boiling for an hour.

As this recipe was prepared for the queen, it is clearly appropriate for a noble gathering.

This mead was brewed for the brewing competition at the East Kingdom 50th Anniversary.

The theme of this contest was to create a drink suitable for a gathering of 16th century nobility.

Bochet from La Menagier de Paris

The Honorable Lady Fiona the Volatile

Le Managier de Paris

Beverages for the Sick:  Bochet

Original French text from Le Menagier de Paris, c. 1393

"BOCHET.  Pour faire six sextiers de bochet, prenez six pintes de miel bien doulx,
et le mettez en une chaudière sur le feu et le faites boulir, et remuez si longuement que il
laisse à soy croistre, et que vous véez qu'il gette bouillon aussi comme petites orines*
qui se creveront, et au crever getteront un petit de fumée aussi come noire:  et lors faites-le
mouvoir, et lors mettez sept sextiers d'eaue et les faites tant boulir qu'ils revienguent à six
sextiers, et tousjours mouvoir. Et lors le mettez en un cuvier pour refroidier jusques à tant
qu'il soit ainsi comme tiède; et lors le coulez en un sas, et après** le mettez en un tonnel et
y mettez une choppine de leveçon*** de cervoise, car c'est ce qui le fait piquant,
(et qui y mettroit levain de pain, autant vauldroit pour saveur, mais la couleur en seroit
plus fade,) et couvrez bien et chaudement pour parer.  Et se vous le voulez faire très bon,
si y mettez une once de gingembre, de poivre long, graine de paradis et cloux de giroffle
autant de l'un que de l'autre, excepté des cloux de giroffle dont il y aura le moins, et les
mettez en un sachet de toile et gettez dedans. Et quant il y aura esté deux ou trois jours
et le bochet sentira assez les espices et il piquera assez, si ostez le sachet et l'espraignez
et le mettez en l'autre baril que vous ferez. Et ainsi vous servira bien celle pouldre jusques
à trois ou quatre fois." *Ordinairement origine (interdum urina): mais ici, sans doute globules.  
**A et B répètent lors. ***Sans doute levure de bière.

Because I do not speak or read French, I worked off of this translation.

"BEVERAGES FOR THE SICK - BOCHET To make six sesters of bochet take six pints of
very soft honey and set it in a cauldron on the fire, and boil it and stir it for as long as it goes
on rising and as long as you see it throwing up liquid in little bubbles which burst and in
bursting give off a little blackish steam; and then move it, and put in seven sesters of water
and boil them  until it is reduced to six sesters, always stirring. And then put it in a tub to cool
until it be just warm, and then run it through a sieve, and afterwards put it in a cask and add
half a pint of leaven of beer, for it is this which makes it piquant (and if you put in leaven of
bread, it is as good for the taste, but the colour will be duller), and cover it warmly and well
when you prepare it.  And if you would make it very good, add thereto an ounce of ginger,
long pepper, grain of Paradise and cloves, as much of the one as of the other, save that there
shall be less of the cloves, and put them in a linen bag and cast it therein. And when it hath
been therein for two or three days, and the brochet tastes enough of the spices and is
sufficiently piquant, take out the bag and squeeze it and put it in the other barrel that you are
making.  And thus this powder will serve you well two or three times over."

( Power, 1928, p. 192-3)

 

Notes:

The biggest challenge in this recipe was simply determining what exactly was meant by a
sester.  I found the following:

1. As a liquid measure for honey and wine. Between 24 and 32 ounces.

2. A dry measure for grain. Maybe equal to 12 bushels.

(Martin and Williams 2003, p. 511)

It can also be a variant of Sexter, which is a measure (of grain, land, wine, etc.) of
varying value, or a unit of capacity, a variant on the french setier.

(Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia, Volume VII, 1908, p. 348)

An earlier recipe in the chapter defines a sester as 8 pints.  This is the measure I chose to
go with for this recipe.

Redaction:

Carmelize 6 pints of honey by boiling until it releases black smoke when the bubbles pop.
Add seven sesters (8 pints each) of water and boil until 0nly 6 sesters of liquid are left.  Allow
to cool, and add ale yeast and spices. Remove the spices after 3 days. Use the same
spices for a second batch.

Ingredients:

6 pints clover honey

56 pints of water (7 gallons)

Beer yeast (I used Danstar Nottingham Ale Yeast)

1 ounce ginger (I used fresh ginger, finely chopped)

1 ounce long pepper

1 ounce grains of paradise

½ ounce cloves

Method:
I started by boiling the honey on the stove.  I boiled it for a long time, stirring constantly
to keep it from sticking to the pot.  I took pictures of the process every 15 minutes.

The color slowly darkened.  I continued to boil until smoke was released when the bubbles
popped.  By this time, the honey was a dark color, and had a thick foam on top.

Once the honey was sufficiently caramelized, I added the water and boiled it until about 6
gallons were left.

I allowed the must to cool, and then put it into carboys.  Because I did not have a 6 gallon
carboy, this was fermented in two 3 gallon carboys.

I sewed a small linen pouch to put the spices in, and placed them in one of the carboys.  
After 3 days, I moved it to the other carboy, as suggested in the recipe.

Both carboys were pitched with Nottingham Ale yeast, which was activated in cold water.

When the fermentation stopped, both carboys were racked into a five gallon carboy to age
and clarify.

References:

Greco, G.L.; Rose, C.M. (2012). The Good Wife's Guide (Le Ménagier de Paris): A Medieval
Household Book. Cornell University Press

Pichon, Jerome (18460 Le ménagier de Paris (v. 1 & 2)

Power, Eileen, (1928) The Goodman of Paris: A treatise on Moral and Domestic Economy
by a Citizen of Paris c 1393

The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia, Volume VII (1908) The Century Company,
New York, NY,

G.H. Martin, Ann Williams, (2003)  Domesday Book: A Complete Transliteration, Penguin
Classics, London