In the mediaeval era, what was the difference between "small beer" and

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In the mediaeval era, what was the difference between "small beer" and "big beer"!?Www@QuestionHome@Com

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As I understand it, small beer is created in the early part of the brewing process!. It's the brew that is allowed to sit and finish frementing to create the final product (strong) beer!. A small portion of the brew was drawn off before all the sugar content had turned to alcohol, that's small beer!.

Very mildly alcoholic, it had been heated and was therefore save to drink, unlike the water of the time!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Small Beer and Strong Beer (not big beer)!.

It was safer for everyone's health to drink alcohol rather than the contaminated water!.

When brewing the first and strongest extract gave the best-quality beer, called strong beer, and a third extract yielded the poorest-quality beer, called small beer!.

The tradition of brewing two or three distinct beers from one mash has existed for thousands of years, and for centuries the term "small beer" was used in English to describe the lightest and weakest beer!.

Middle Ages Drink
The people of the Middle Ages enjoyed to drink, and as water was often unclean, it was a necessity!.
The poor drank ale, mead or cider and the rich were able to drink many different types of wines!.
Beer is not only one of the oldest fermenting beverages used by man, but it is also the one which was most in vogue in the Middle Ages!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

In 'The Tudor housewife' Alison Sim writes:

'Ale had benn the traditional English drink for centuries, but it did not keep as well as beer (the hops acted as a preservative) so it was gradually dying out!.

The brewing process was similar for both ale and beer!. First the grain, which was usually barley, was malted!. This meant that the grain was damepend, and left in a warm place until it began to sprout!. It was then roasted to stop it germinating further!. This malt was then added to boiling water which was flavoured either with herbs and spices (for ale) or hops (for beer)!. It was this boiling that made ale and beer safe to drink even when the water could not be trusted!. The resulting liquid was then barrelled, and yeast added so that it fermented!.

A Tudor housewife would use her malt three times if she was making beer (one of the advantages of brewing beer rather than ale was that the malt could be used more than once)!. The first time it would be used to make strong beer!. This could be very strong indeed, and could keep for up to two years!. It would be drunk very much as we drink beer today, as would the weaker brew that would come from the second use of the malt!. The third use would make small beer, which was very weak!. It was far too weak to get drunk on, and everyone, from the highest to the lowest, drank this when they were thirsty!. Not surprisingly, it was drunk in great quantities!. Great houses had specially equipped brewhouses, together with maltings for making the large amounts of malt this must have consumed!. Even so brewing was such a simple process that it could be done over the household fire!. The equipment was fairly cheap and ale and beer could always find a ready market as there was much demand for the product!. It was for this reason that licenses to run alehouses were often granted to poor women who had no other means of supporting themselves!.'Www@QuestionHome@Com

Small beer was a weaker brew, a low alcohol beer, and a large beer was the regular stuff!. Small Beer was often given to the kids!!!

http://www!.anchorbrewing!.com/beers/small!.!.!.
"""""The tradition of brewing two distinct beers from one mash has existed for thousands of years, and for centuries the term "small beer" was used in English to describe the lighter and weaker second beer!. By association, the term came to mean something of little importance"""

Peace///////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Small beer was a weak version of the real beer/!.
It was brewed that way to be drunk instead of water because the water supply was often contaminatedWww@QuestionHome@Com

small beer was watered down with something like water or citrus!. I think it is actually large beer, not big beer, and that is normal strenght or higher!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The other one is not 'big' but 'strong beer'!. Small beer is diluted with water!.Www@QuestionHome@Com