Barrels were often used in the production and storage of food and drink, such as brewing. A large proportion of middling households brewed their own beer in early modern England – it was one of the ways in which they could produce a superior product within the household, and in some cases combine it with inholding to sell off surplus supplies. Homes on larger urban plots with substantial yards behind would have space for a ‘brew house’ within which this smelly work could be undertaken separately from the main house. Domestic brewing fell under the responsibility of women. It was a key part of the household economy, with beer seen as equally important to bread for daily consumption. But brewing was also an occupation, one mainly undertaken by men of middling status such as Samuel Ward of Reigate House in Surrey, the subject of our virtual room. In our middling inventory sample, barrels of various kinds were the most frequently listed storage items. John Garrett, a beer brewer of Chester, for instance, owned 80 barrels, 42 half barrels and 20 hogsheads (large casks) when he died in 1625.<br /> <br /> In the brewing process, malt would be added to water and then boiled. The contents of the barrel would be stirred (also called mashing). Once the liquid rose to the top of the vat, more malt would be added. The mixture was then left to stand and, when ready, the liquid drained from the bottom of the barrel or bucket through a wicker strainer (also known as a mashing strom). Depending on the type of alcohol being produced, the liquid would be finished in a variety of ways: left to brew for different lengths of time and flavoured with various ingredients such as herbs and honey. It shows the length of time that these processes took, and the central role that women and servants played within a middling household in providing the kind of high-quality, home-produced foodstuffs that marked them out from their more market-dependent neighbours.
Barrel (Dry coopered barrel), Date Unknown

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Barrel

Barrel (Dry coopered barrel), Date Unknown

Barrels were often used in the production and storage of food and drink, such as brewing. A large proportion of middling households brewed their own beer in early modern England – it was one of the ways in which they could produce a superior product within the household, and in some cases combine it with inholding to sell off surplus supplies. Homes on larger urban plots with substantial yards behind would have space for a ‘brew house’ within which this smelly work could be undertaken separately from the main house. Domestic brewing fell under the responsibility of women. It was a key part of the household economy, with beer seen as equally important to bread for daily consumption. But brewing was also an occupation, one mainly undertaken by men of middling status such as Samuel Ward of Reigate House in Surrey, the subject of our virtual room. In our middling inventory sample, barrels of various kinds were the most frequently listed storage items. John Garrett, a beer brewer of Chester, for instance, owned 80 barrels, 42 half barrels and 20 hogsheads (large casks) when he died in 1625.

In the brewing process, malt would be added to water and then boiled. The contents of the barrel would be stirred (also called mashing). Once the liquid rose to the top of the vat, more malt would be added. The mixture was then left to stand and, when ready, the liquid drained from the bottom of the barrel or bucket through a wicker strainer (also known as a mashing strom). Depending on the type of alcohol being produced, the liquid would be finished in a variety of ways: left to brew for different lengths of time and flavoured with various ingredients such as herbs and honey. It shows the length of time that these processes took, and the central role that women and servants played within a middling household in providing the kind of high-quality, home-produced foodstuffs that marked them out from their more market-dependent neighbours.

Object Type Dry coopered barrel
Year Date Unknown
Material Wood
Owned By SBT 1991-3
Keywords making; producing; storing; occupation; housework; production; wood; tool; food/drink
Image Credit Dry coopered barrel, SBT 1991-3, CC-BY-NC-ND; Image Courtesy of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust.

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