Comments on: The Language of Beer

By: j Me

j Me — Tue, 27 Apr 2021 19:22:22 +0000

Wassail is a hot mulled cider with spices ( or the act of asking for a bountiful blessing of an apple orchard )… the version made with Ale is traditionally known as Lambswool

cheers!
Jon

By: Gary Gillman

Gary Gillman — Sat, 27 Sep 2014 15:24:20 +0000

Good article. Wallop for mild ale may puzzle some, but doubtless the term derives from the 1800’s (at least). In that period, mild ale was stronger than bitter, approximately 6.5%-8% ABV (at least when not watered by the publicans). Bitter, or pale ale, was 5.5%-6.5%.

The term High Noon, for a 3:00 p.m. drinking after trading hours, is interesting. I wonder if it is connected, somehow, to the use of the term in the title of a famous American movie.

Gary

By: Custard Apple

Custard Apple — Mon, 22 Sep 2014 09:33:41 +0000

‘Mother in Law” was another mixed beer drink. A pint made from two halves. One of Old and the other of Bitter

By: Stella Herbert

Stella Herbert — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 11:43:55 +0000

Dear Gentle Author,

I say again – you do keep hitting the spot!! But one word you don’t mention is ‘ullage’, the measurement of wine/beer remaining in barrel after leakage, evaporation etc.

My ancestors, the Stutchbury family who originated in Buckinghamshire, came to Bishopsgate – one son, Joseph Sidney, became a scientific instrument maker making amongst other things gauging rules to measure ullage. He was apprenticed to Edward Roberts a well known maker. – some of Joseph’s work is in the Science Museum.
Many of the family were lightermen by the Tower at Brewer’s Quay & it was probably there that the necessity for such rules was recognised.
Joseph’s brother, Samuel Stutchbury, became well known for discovering gold in Australia in the 1850s.

Keep up your wonderful site – it cheers so many people’s days!!
Stella.

By: Peter Holford

Peter Holford — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 08:18:09 +0000

Thank you for this fine list. As a frequenter of such places I knew many of these terms but now I can arm myself with a new expanded vocabulary for future visits. Anybody for metheglin?

By: Greg Tingey

Greg Tingey — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 08:16:48 +0000

“Brewster”: A female brewer.
( These latter are on the increase in recent year, I’m glad to say. )

“Pin” or “Pipkin”: A cask built to hold Four-&-a-half gallons.

“Tun” also has a second meaning, IIRC it is a cask holding Seventy-two gallons – two barrels.

By: Philip Mernick

Philip Mernick — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 07:55:37 +0000

What about Barley Wine? When I was a student in the 1960s my summer work was at Trumans where we bottled third pint bottles of Barley Wine for the Christmas trade. Is it still available?
Truman’s claimed “More hops in Ben Truman” and another of my jobs was to add hops (from tall sacks) to each barrel (still wood at the time) using a metal funnel and a metal rod.

By: Achim

Achim — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 07:53:50 +0000

Yesterday I had my two Nappies of GUINNESS — and One For The Road. Cheers!

Love & Peace
ACHIM

By: Jonathon Green

Jonathon Green — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 07:04:36 +0000

Perhaps the Gentle Author will permit me to trespass here and offer this link to a timeline of slang terms referring to alcohol: http://bit.ly/1b4ANMW.