Farmhouse ale Farmhouse ale Farmhouse ale is an ancient European tradition where farmers brewed beer for consumption on the farm from their own grain, hops, and yeast. Most farmers would brew for Christmas and/or harvest time, but in areas where they had enough grain farmers would use beer as the every-day drink. This was in a time when it was safer to drink beer than water. Farmhouse ale has enormous variation in the ingredients and brewing process used, both of which follow ancient local traditions. Today many microbreweries make beers they market as farmhouse ale, but in most cases the connection with
Ale conner Ale conner An ale-conner (sometimes aleconner or ale-kenner) is an officer appointed yearly at the court-leet of ancient English communities to ensure the goodness and wholesomeness of bread, ale, and beer. There were many different names for this position which varied from place to place: "ale-tasters", "gustatores cervisiae," "ale-founders", and "ale-conners". Ale-conners were also often trusted to ensure that the beer was sold at a fair price. Four ale-conners are still chosen annually by the Common-Hall of the City of London. Ale-conners were sworn "to examine and assay the beer and ale, and to take care that they were good