History, Wonder Tales, Fairy Tales, Myths and Legends The Flemish | Page 196

Chapter X
The Low Dutch in the Brewing Industry
10. 1.
FROM Old English times the brewing of malt liquor was universally practised, every
village supplying its own wants. The ale of the Middle Ages, however, differed from
our modern ales and beers in that it had no other ingredients than malt, water, yeast,
and barm; it was rather a sweet wort of the consistency of barley-water.
A new variety of malt liquor was introduced from Flanders at the end of the 14th
century, and in the brewing of this new beer hops were used. It seems to have been
imported into Winchelsea as early as 1400. At first it was brewed entirely by foreigners
and seems to have been consumed mainly by them. The term ‘beer’ seems to have
been applied to this new liquor and the