We absolutely love an authentic medieval pub. Which is the best one you've been to? 🤔

Ha! at 6:25 when they talked about punishment for bad ale, a Budweiser ad immediately kicked in.

The brewer is an absolute badass. Intelligent, funny and beautiful. And brews beer for a living? Respect

Dr Janega's approach to history from the view of the commoner really strikes a modern chord. She constantly returns to "..but what was it like?" These are works that will be appreciated, added to, and debated over for years to come. The format is very engaging; the speakers are intelligent and passionate. Big kudos to all in front of and behind this, and we demand more!

Can this be a series? Just Dr Janega chatting about the history of pubs all over the UK while having a pint. That would be brilliant.

Who else is drinking while watching this video.? 🤠

I have no idea how I’m only discovering this channel today. Wha a programme! I genuinely forgot I wasn’t watching a history show on BBC2, exceptional production values and the content is FANTASTIC. Love to see two inspirational women having such in depth and fascinating conversations on a television show…much much much more of this please **SUBSCRIBED**

Dr. Eleanor is my favorite!!!! She has so much style and wit and clearly the brains. Such a great series. I love History Hit.

I love watching Dr Eleanor videos. Her enthusiasm for and knowledge of history is inspiring!

I do wish medieval herb-flavoured ale was available commercially now! I would love to sample what modern brewers would come up with. ❤

'Folk etymology' red flags went off with the 'down a peg or two' and I immediately paused and checked - apparently it's very uncertain where it came from. But when I pressed play he admitted as much, and I respected him a lot more. The distinction between someone with an axe to grind and someone who really has a serious openness to facts and complexity in history :)

Eleanor is a treasure. Could listen to her all day.

Yeah! More Eleanor!!! I just happened to be rewatching her historical movie videos and this popped up. So excited, she makes medieval history so much fun!

This was brilliant. Like someone else said in the comments, it just popped up as a recommendation from nowhere, but has been the most interesting thing I've seen on KZfaq for ages.

A friend of mine who worked for Sport England many years ago would regularly work alongside another gentleman who was the Chief Chaplain of Her Majesty’s Prisons. He was often asked to say grace at formal dinners, which became something of a chore, and so he always used the same form of words for convenience. “Lord Divine, who turned the water into wine, please forgive those foolish men, who tried to turn it back again”.

Seriously, Dr. Janega is one of theeeeeee best! She never talks down to anyone even though she’s super educated, she offers clear info and finds simple ways to answer things- and is naturally funny- so it’s a pleasure to watch/listen to her! Thanks, Dr. J!

The brewmaster was phenomenal. Its always intriguing to see an expert talk with such interest about their craft and the history of it. As the grandson of an austrian brewmaster i appreciate it very much

This just randomly played for me but it was honestly one of the most interesting history videos I've watched in years on KZfaq! Great job guys!

Interesting to hear about the two types of ale/beer, the first being the strong ale, and then the "drink and still work". Many years ago I heard that there were 3 brewings. Firstly there was the strong ale for recreation, then the ingredients would be reused to make 'table ale' for meal drinking, and then finally reused to make what was basically just flavoured water. Even though the detail is different (2 instead of 3) it's nice to have it confirmed that there were multiple brewings for different strengths.

One of my best memories was traveling all over England and Scotland with my mother and sister. It was early January so quite brisk. We would walk and enjoy/immerse ourselves in the beautiful architecture, and amazing historical sites. However we would have to pop into a pub to warm up between each activity and sample whiskeys and ales to fortify ourselves. I was actually fine as I lived in New York at the time. However my family is from Texas. They were ice cubes. We hit a LOT of pubs. lol

I always love when Dr Janega presents. She has this look of mischief that I find approachable and engaging. That she never loses her presence as an authority or expert is always impressive.

The two things I noticed right away about the medieval ale were the darkness and the minimal carbonation. I'm glad they talked about the minimal carbonation, because that was the most striking thing.

My brother in law was in the Royal Navy in the late 60s, 70s and received a rum ration or 3 bottles of beer daily.

That's super interesting, I'm a bit of an alcohol scholar myself, and I love this kind of videos! I've had a few "medieval" beers, created by small brewers and based on "gruit" (a mixture of herbs, as the video explained) instead of hops, and they're indeed pretty different from what we drink today, but I love them!

Love seeing enthusiastic historians with a passion for their arena. Same with Mike Loades and Mary Beard, it's great to see infectious , knowledgeable people enthuse about a subject.

If you woke up in medieval times tomorrow, you'd become a heavy drinker too....

The beer brewed by Jaega Wise, the head brewer at Wild Card, looked delicious and what an interesting interview. More please!

Great video! I'm a history buff (and degreed) and would love to spend time with Dr. Janega doing research - how much more could I learn!?! It's so wonderful to find out the actual history versus the common conjecture.

You mentioned the Canterbury Tales. Could you please do a video on popular medieval literature and literacy? Clearly there are still people who need to hear about it.

I am really enjoying this series from Dr. Janega! Thank you so much for uploading!

What an awesome video ! This really cleared up a lot of misconceptions that I had ! This is the type of show i wish was on the History Channel !!! Instead of shows like : pawn stars . Thanks History Hit , you rock !

I’m drunk right now

Great stuff, you can't make enough content with this host. Also love the more everyday history, not just military history

Jaega is a great pleasure to listen to! Perfect combination of very clear and composed speech and being calming. She lulls me into attentiveness 😅

i just love Dr Eleanor way of tell history , she makes it engaging and i don’t die of boredom like many historians bore on tv

Dr Eleanor Janega,what a supersuperstar! Thank you .

This is such great content, ah! Thank you to all involved in filming and producing this!

Love all docos with Dr Eleanor Janega!

This must be the best KZfaq I have ever watched. I will definitely watch more of your history videos. Many thanks from Johnny Warner

What a great episode with great converations. Thanks for the good storytelling and that the episode is historically accurate. I will keep a lookout for a copy of the Canterbury Tales, by the way.

Great episode! Fantastic work by Dr. Janega as always! Can't wait for the next episode.

Great episode! I look forward to future episodes!

Love Dr Eleanor! Always informative and fun.

This makes me even more sad that local pubs are closing. You used to be able to walk to a nearby pub and enjoy a swift half. All near me are a taxi journey away. I'm too tight to pay for that.

Captain Cook brewed ale on arrival in NZ in 1773 using local leaves, and the crew 'drank plentifully of it'. Learning about the use of local herbs in this excellent lesson gives context to this history.

This is so well done! Thank you.

Janega is awesome!! She is so knowledgeable and approachable in the way she explains things. Love to see it. Would love to try her beer.

Thank you for being an honest Medievalist! The Enlightenment has greatly distorted our views of the Classical and Medieval periods. Love from another Medievalist!

With the passing of the late great Terry Jones, Dr Janega is really doing a great job on entertaining videos bringing the life and humor of the Middle Ages to life. The more I learn about the Medieval period, the more I feel we may still be in it.

Excellent description of the technical aspects of brewing (as a homebrewer)!

Excellent job with this deep dive! I learned a lot. Well done and thanks!

Greetings from Canada. I once brewed a batch of beer bittered with fresh dandelion flowers. It had a lovely golden/straw colour and remarkably subtle flavour.

I love dr Janega. I'm glad it's a series.

I'm late to the Dr. Janega party, but so glad I showed up! Great presenter!

Great documentary! Loved hearing from the Head Brewer; she knows her stuff...and Dr Janega is the coolest!!

Oh how I love Doc Eleanor. We get not enough from her.

I just caught Dr. Janega today due to the algorithm. I really enjoy her presentation! Subscribed!

Wow! A really informative and entertaining vid. Thankyou. I was a keen home-brewer years back, brewing from malt/hops and live brewers yeast, I had 20x brown glass quart (English) bottles with Bakelite stoppers, and a dozen or so 'Flip-Top' bottles (Grolsch). Many a pleasant evening spent with a few friends. I did experiment with nettles instead of hops. It was ok, but didn't keep very well, so back to the Fuggles (hops). My first encounter with West Country cider was when hitch -hiking down to Stonehenge Festival with a mate. We found ourselves in deepest Somerset as evening fell and went into a small country pub for some vittels and refresment. My mate, who at 21 years considered himself a 'Man of the World' suggested we must drink cider. I was a fresh faced faced (long-haired) 18yo then and on asking for a pint was advised "OI think yew better troiy an aaarff furst sur' by the Lady of the House. Well 2 and an aaarff points lay-urr my mate and I floated out of that place and found a barn to sleep it off in. (you could do that in those days). Couple of years later and I was living in Bristol. There were a couple of 'cider houses'that I used to frequent;- no beer on tap just 'rough' or 'Farmhouse' cider. Not clear and fizzy, but cloudy and still, served with a slice of lemon. Very quiet places, the cider houses, never any rowdiness or trouble. Who needs Morphine when you have farmhouse cider? Rumour had it that some of the Old Boys (with their waxy complexion and bulbous noses) would get all of thier nutrition from cider.... Protein and minerals gained from the rats,who on trying to steal apples from the top of the brewing vat would fall in ,get drunk, and drown, only to dissolve. Sterilized I suppose by the alcohol. Myth ?- maybe. But there was such a thing as 'Cock Ale', whereby a boiled cockerel woul be put into the brew! From Wikepedia;-Take eight Gallons of Ale; take a Cock and boil him well; then take four pounds of Raisins of the Sun well stoned, two or three Nutmegs, three or four flakes of Mace, half a pound of Dates; beat these all in a Mortar, and put to them two quarts of the best Sack; and when the Ale hath done working, put these in, and stop it close six or seven days, and then bottle it, and a month after you may drink it

Absolute genius. Thank you so much Dr Eleanor for such a very entertaining and informative video. Keep them coming!

My favorite pub (although I'm American) is John Harvard's Brew Pub, near Harvard Square in Cambridge when I lived in Boston. They were renovating a small basement jazz bar and excavated a chest of documents belonging to John Harvard, a protege of William Shakespeare and founder of Harvard University. Among the documents there were a number of his favorite beer recipes. And they created a brew pub based on those recipes, with big copper vats (although later they moved the brewing off-site). I love the stained glass windows, which look, at first, like depictions of saints, but the faces were of John F. Kennedy, Jerry Garcia, Bobby Orr, Richard Nixon, Tip O'Neill, Grace Slick and others.

Loved this , I'm subscribing , watchable , interesting, informative, exciting and different.

I love these videos you have been putting together!

DR. JANEGA IS BACK! Love her!

A pub near me called ye olde man and scythe in Bolton was established in 1251 and an old tale goes the way they make their cider taste the way it does is because they have rats swimming in it. Being so old of course it has ghosts in particular is the Earl of Derby who was beh eaded for his actions in the Mass acre of Bolton during the English Civil War. His last night was at the pub and he has been seen walking around the pub and sitting in chairs. They do have a chair he sat on the day of the execution, the chair was then subsequently broken by accident by the band The Who when they came and played at the pub. Interestingly enough the executioners skull is on display for some reason in a different pub in the town.

I just love that show, so chill and informative

What a fabulous episode. Thank you.

Not so long ago visited Blenheim Palace on a glorious summer day (I was working alas) and was amazed to learn how servants were allocated two bottles of wine A DAY. Churchill drank a helluva lot apparently...no surprise bearing in mind life at the Palace.

I'm, for sure, gonna make that medieval beer with the herbs and what-not. That sounds like it would such an interesting experience.

I like Eleanor, she is a joy to listen to, obviously well studied historian and looks at the every day history, comes over as a fun person who loves her subject sh has joined ned the ranks of my favourite historian👍❤️

Dr. Janega you rock, keep making videos!

Great videos! Please consider doing a special just on Archbishop of York, George Neville's enthronement party at Cawood in 1465. The food and drink quantities are truly staggering!

Great video!! With over a decade of home brewing plus even more of vinting mead & wine, must say it was an extremely enjoyable experience, though never tried ancient ales using herbs. On Reflection it would've been an enjoyable experience but the cost of oak cask, and short shelf life & a raised degree of producing a totally un- drinkable product kept the journey focused on traditional ales using hops. Cheers 🍺

What I've enjoyed the most is how Dr. Janega is so excited and enthusiastic about what she is telling us. Far too many Historian present their material in a tone that often puts me to sleep. Not with Dr. Janega! Thank you!

I completely enjoyed this! I love the Penwork illustrations used!

In North American public school we were always taught that they drink alcohol because water quality was too poor, but it’s not as much as beer more like a grog of two or 3%. That said children had to drink “water“ as well… Seems like a bleak existence or a big party which ever way you look at it! Thanks for the videos, cheers!!!!!

I make mead (and many other drinks). It was rare because of how expensive it would have been, and still it. It is one of the quickest brews to be 'able' to drink and get drunk, but one of the longest to become good. Also typically a more alcoholic drink than beer or wine, so would have sold to higher wealth people. Also mead kind of lasts forever in the right conditions. It's a real mix of values. Anyway, go buy 20 Liters or 4 gallons of honey in one go, that is real honey and not fake corn syrup from the local shops, and you will see why mead is such an expensive drink

Love that a complex answer isn't always necessary, turns out we've just always loved bevvies

Wild Card is a stellar name for a brewery. Thanks for the history lesson too!

As a homebrewer, I found this fascinating. I am assembling the kit to make a Gruit, which is a pre-Hopster Medieval beer.

Can we just periodically get a 4 hour video of Dr Janega talking about literally anything?

This is Brilliant, during lockdown I started home brewing again, but rather than kits I was using teabags, Earl grey and lady grey tea were my favourites, but my wife liked the fruit tea wines I made.

The lady from the East end brewery has an incredible k owledge of the history of brewing "respect".

One thing you left out was the use of ale and grain-based drinks as a form of nutrition and calories. I know that was extremely important in some parts of Africa where various ales and beers were consider dietary staples and provided a significant portion of a person's daily caloric intake. I assume something like this was also happening in Europe.

Dr Eleanor Janega is the bomb diggity!! She needs one or two BBC series!!

24:07 The story of how communion was restricted has got to be the birth of modern economics. Not enough for everybody so nobody gets any, leading to a huge surplus that the poor elite have to consume all by themselves.

It sounds a lot like beer, ale or wine is the medieval version of coffee or tea. It's just everywhere and is present at every meal.

The thing about the hops and beer/ale difference is very unique to the British Isles. Hops was around in beers in "Germany" in proven sources from the 8th century onwards.

Brilliant conversations, especially with the brewer!

I have been making my own beer since 1978…and have no intention of stopping. Currently it costs between 20p and 35p a pint, depending on the cost of the ingredients

I wonder how many poor polyesters died for her fluffy coat.

YES...a Dr.Eleanor program. The best 👍

My surname is Brewer , and I regularly make my own wine and beer. Thankyou for a very interesting video that has educated me a little more. Sitting here just now , I'm drinking a very nice Cider........

I don't feel bad about drinking all the time anymore:D

This is much more interesting then I anticipated. Well done!

Super-interesting episode! Subbed and hoping for more.

Dropped on this vid by accident, what a gem!

The first reference to a standard amount for ale, in Magna Carta, was mentioned. The programme then alluded to the modern pint. In fact the original "pint" was 16 fluid ounces, as in 16oz to the pound, not the modern day 20 fl ozs. That became established, I believe, at the start of the 19th century and it could be argued that is why British beers tended towards a strength of 4% alcohol whilst continental beers tended towards 5%, half a litre being 16.9 fl ozs. The brewers of the UK became wealthier by selling more water to their customers under the guise of it being beer!

I like the way Dr Elenor has possibly picked up the "yeah yeah yeah yeah" UK thing. Maybe they do that in the US too? For me, that is such a British thing. "Yeah yeah yeah yeah" - "She loves you, yeah yeah yeah" - LOL. It's like the way you are saying to someone you are chatting with "I get that".

I remember when wine was not offered at communion. then it changed and a 'communal glass of wine was passed around -many people thought not clean - great way to share germs

Doing a pub crawl in London is in my bucket list