braciatrix

I Wrote A Book- Introducing ‘The Devil’s In The Draught Lines: 1000 Years of Women in Britain’s Beer History’

Hi Friends, I know I have been very quiet on the blog lately, that is because I have been busy writing a book, well two books to be specific, but let me not get ahead of myself. I have been working on The Devil’s In the Draught Lines: 1000 Years of Women in Britain’s Beer […]

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You Are The Gatekeeper

There is no historian, only Zuul. And like the 1984 Ghostbuster’s demonic entity, they too control who gets through the door. And with that reference I have absolutely aged myself. I am finally an Old Person™. Incredibly delighted with that development. Ahem… Get off my lawn. Right, let’s get down to business. Gatekeeping. What might […]

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How to Historian: Decoding History for Writers and Readers

Hello Friends, I’m working on book number three- yay! And I’ve been trying to figure out what to write on my blog for, well, ages, because writing a book is a sort of all-consuming beast, which I love, but doesn’t leave much time for my penchant for diving down rabbit holes for a single blog […]

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Slay (Filthy) Queen(s): Beer Tasting, Ghost Hunting, and Trying to Lose Our 17th Century Ale License with Rye River Brewing

Don’t mind the dead body in the back. Katherine Blomiley wasn’t one to let a little thing like a corpse deprive her of liberating customers from their ill-gotten gains. Not even her mother-in-law’s. Allegedly. Blomiley kept an alehouse in Chorlton in the mid-17th century. And it was here that she was charged with ignoring her […]

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Filthy Queens: A History of Beer In Ireland: My Lastest Book drops January 30th

I’m delighted to announce after seven years of research and writing FILTHY QUEENS: A HISTORY OF BEER IN IRELAND is here! Published with Nine Bean Rows, it is available for preorder now on my publisher’s website and at all good bookshops. About the book: In Filthy Queens, we look at the history of beer alongside […]

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Scolteen: An Irish Hot Whiskey and Beer Cocktail

Its scenery is not stupendous- scarcely even anywhere bold; but it is ‘beautiful exceedingly’. Its boundaries are not mountains, but hills of sufficient elevation to form a picturesque and striking outline. The hill-sides, which in some places rise abruptly from the water, and which in others, slope more gently, are covered to a considerable elevation […]

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In Which I Make a Medieval Braggot

I have been wanting to make a braggot since I first heard about them years ago. And now seemed like a good time to give it a go. I first thought of making one using a modern commercial beer, but then thought it might be better to use a medieval ale. So what I ended […]

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Medieval English Small Ale

Historical beer cooking is back! And right out of the gate, I decided to make a medieval English braggot, which is not mixing ale with mead but is, in fact, mixing ale with honey, and then also maybe some other booze once it’s done. More on that in the next post. I wasn’t sure whether […]

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In Which I Make a 17th-century Posset

Happy Christmas Eve to all who celebrate, and a Good Yule and Merry Solstice. So continuing on my current kick of making all the hot ale drinks I can find, for this week’s task, I opted to make a posset. Why a posset this week you wonder? Well, this time of year signals the return […]

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‘Here We Come A Wassailing’: My versions of a 17th-century Lambs Wool

Wassailing. The name appears often this time of year, spoken in songs, or referenced in stories. But what exactly is it and where did it come from? There are a lot of good articles online about its history, but in case you aren’t familiar, here is a brief overview: According to the UK National Trust, […]