Elspeth Payne on…

It’s amazing to me how many brewers ask me where to find medieval brewing recipes for beer, mead, whatever . Let’s start with some basics. When you’re looking for documentable historical sources for medieval brewing recipes, it’s important to know which ones to quote. What is a primary source? The […]

I’ve been building a homebrewers website for a club with some special parameters. Since homebrewers’ clubs are sprouting up like mushrooms (do NOT take that as inspiration, the world does NOT need ‘shroom beer) I thought I’d take some time to look at the kinds of decisions made to get this new site […]

January 2012- my nephew tells me there’s not enough personal in this story, that it would be more interesting if I let you all see a little more of me in here.  I am re-writing it, trying to make it a little less news-reporting and a little more of a story. […]

For you medievalists who might be able to actually attend, and all you crazy brewers who like getting together with other brewers to see what’s shakin’, may I recommend this weekend’s  Brewers’ Roundtable?  It’s something we do a lot of in the historical brewing world that you modern types may […]

I’m back home from medieval summer camp (where I and ten thousand of my closest friends re-create camps and life in different eras prior to 1600 AD, complete with battles, bards, and all manner of arts displays, tournaments, and competitions – have I mentioned the parties?).  I am thinking about […]

I used to know it as a fun fighting event. It all started like this In the world of medieval enactors in the Society for Creative Anachronism, an integral part of an event is the afternoon Court.  The local baron and/or baroness preside, and sometimes we have Royalty as well […]

Making cordials is often lumped in with brewing.  Should it be?  Is making a cordial, with modern restrictions and requirements, really a brewing activity?  Why do people make cordials, anyway? Now, whether you’re pro or con, you’ll find I have a number of cordials recipes on this site.  Most are […]

Last year a brewing chum asked me why I compete in homebrewing.  He’s one of the most morose people I’ve ever met, so my first thought was that he was sulking as usual, and found hearing about my competition outreach distasteful.  Take out the sulking, though, and you’ve got a […]