Beer

Beer was the standard beverage of the lower classes, especially in northern Europe, because wine usually became more expensive the farther it was transported from the source of supply. Members of the northern aristocracy were also fond of beer, the most famous example was the emperor Charles V (1500-1558), who was raised in Flanders. Created from brewed grain, such as barley, beer has additional ingredients to enhance the flavor. During the Renaissance brewers experimented with various additions, such as honey and bay leaves, for flavor, as possible preservatives, and for their potential medicinal effects. Although the brewing of beer sometimes was not legally permitted in powerful wine-growing regions, especially in France, the beverage was so popular that taverns in these regions imported barrels of beer. Peasants were great beer drinkers, sometimes imbibing more than a gallon each day (about two six-packs).

Almost everything produced during the Renaissance was made individually by hand. The two exceptions were coins (see previous discussion) and printed texts—and the presses that created them were, of course, pulled by hand. The industrial age had not yet begun. Workshops functioned in a quasi-industrial fashion in the textile (see pages 212-213), mining (see Pages 210-211), and building fields. Most crafted items were made by guild members, and a master craftsman (and they were always men) was in charge of each workshop. Although women did assist in the shops, they did so as the wife or daughter of the guild member.