Alewife (trade)

An alewife, also brewess or brewster, was a woman who brewed ale for commercial sale. Women have been active in brewing since before the process's industrialisation. The word "alewife" is first recorded in England in 1393 to mean "a woman that keeps an ale-house", synonymous with the word "brewster". "Alewife" is now commonly used in translations of ancient texts to refer to any woman who brewed and sold ale dating back to the beginning of recorded history. Although the profession was later taken over by men, the original brewing profession back in ancient Mesopotamia was principally performed by women. The character of Siduri in the Epic of Gilgamesh appears as a divine alewife. Women also brewed the majority of ale for both domestic and commercial use in England before the Black Death, and some women continued brewing into the 17th century. Ale represented a key part of the medieval English diet as it was both the most affordable and clean beverage available. The precise amount of ale that was ingested daily is not known, but it appears to have been up to a gallon a day per person. Because ale went sour within days after being brewed, constant production was necessary to meet demand. Therefore, ale was produced in huge quantities by a relatively simple process that was widely known, although time intensive, most often using malted barley or oats. The ale trade in all of England was legally regulated by the Assize of Bread and Ale, "which linked the price of ale to the price of grain and which ordained public checks on the quality of the brew." Operating outside of this regulation was forbidden and handled severely by the courts. Public records in the Medieval period before the Black Death include regulatory legislation that treats brewing as a solely female profession, indicating that brewing ale was dominated by women. This female dominance of the trade likely evolved because it could be done in the home, supplemented other incomes, and was passed down from previous generations of women.