For thousands of years, fermenting beer was considered a household task for #women.

By the Middle Ages, some sold beer at English markets. Female brewers wore tall, pointy hats to be easily spotted. They stood by cauldrons & often had cats to keep mice away.

Sound familiar? It should.

You see, when male brewers felt threatened, they accused the women of witchcraft. These rumors may have led to some witch iconography we still recognize today.

https://theconversation.com/women-used-to-dominate-the-beer-industry-until-the-witch-accusations-started-pouring-in-155940 #history #HistoryRemix

Women used to dominate the beer industry – until the witch accusations started pouring in

Today, beer is marketed to men and the industry is run by men. It wasn’t always that way.

The Conversation
@Sheril These brewer women had widely varied formulas using all kinds of field herbs as bitters to prevent spoilage. Soporific hops were introduced by the church so that the whole herbal "superfun sexy time" or "trippin balls and sacking the next village" thing would quit happening
@sciencecrank
Can you provide some sources for this? I would love to read more about that.
@Sheril

@suvidu @Sheril
In the chapter on Psychotropic and Highly Inebriating Beers, in particular pages 169-174...

Harrod Buhner, Stephen. Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers: The Secrets of Ancient Fermentation. Siris Books, 1998.