When I was little we'd all go around the dinner table and share what we learned that day whether it was a fun fact or something about ourselves. Well, friends, I have a really interesting fact for you to share tonight because, according to a report by Smithsonian Magazine, women used to absolutely dominate the world of beer brewing. That is until they were accused of being witches because of their work.
Up until the Inquisition of the 16th century, women were in charge of masterfully brewing beer. Fermenting was a part of their daily lives, Smithsonian reports because beer was a nutrient-rich and carb-loaded drink, which was perfect for the working class's diet. The role women played in beer brewing dates back to the times of Vikings and Egyptians as humans have been drinking beer-like beverages for almost 7,000 years.
When the Inquisition began, which started to promote stricter gender norms and the condemnation of witchcraft, male brewers took it as an opportunity to get rid of female brewers as competition, according to the Smithsonian. Prior to this, female brewers would wear tall, pointy hats and have cauldrons (two characteristics commonly associated with what we now think of as "witches"). The hats were so they could be seen at the marketplaces they attended to sell their beer, and the cauldrons were to hold their product. Eventually, male brewers started spreading information claiming female brewers were participating in witchcraft which, at the time, could be punishable by imprisonment or even death, so the female brewers were deterred from continuing their craft out of fear.
So goes the story of how beer brewing became a historically male-dominated field, although it wasn't always this way. How's that for a fact to share at the dinner table?
