[Sca-cooks] small beer

[Phil Troy/ G. Tacitus Adamantius]

Also sprach Stacy Robinson:
>Okay, as some one who is trying to learn as much as I
>can about brewing, what would be the differences
>between small beer and penny ale? I have came accros
>refrences to both in my research and have often
>wondered if they were the same thing.

Absolutely off the top of my head...

It might be a helpful perspective to remember that more or less
throughout the Middle Ages, in England, at least, a penny was a
silver coin representing a day's wages for the average laborer, and
was capable of, in real terms, buying, among other things, a whole
roast capon or goose from a cooked meat shop.

Prices fluctuated a bit, but were actually regulated pretty well. You
can get a fair idea of the monetary value of various commodities used
to make ale, bread, etc., by looking at Assize documents. Try doing a
Web search for "Assize of Ale"; you'll get several documents which
state the prices brewers, bakers, and others have to pay for their
grain-based necessities, and therefore how much they can charge.

I think Penny Ale would be a richer and more costly ale than Small Ale.

Adamantius