So beer has been around since basically the beginning of agriculture, and I know it was brewed extensively in medieval Europe in monasteries, but how different was this beer from what we have now taste wise? What was considered a "good" beer?

by thewoodsmakesmehappy

If we were to somehow give a 10th century monk a Budweiser, how would that go over? What about a craft beer that aficionados consider "good" nowadays?

Same questions for wine, if anyone has any insight.

barrelroll42

One of the ultimate historical alcohol resources out there is A Sip Through Time, which has recipes from the ancient Egyptians up until the prohibition era - including some that we now know to actually be harmful.

Tossing a medieval monk a Budweiser would be a sight to see! The monk would recognize it as beer, but certainly something he hasn't seen or tasted before. If he was a monk within the Holy Roman Empire (modern day Belgium and Germany) he would abide by the Reinheitsgebot, the German Beer Purity Law, which mandated that the only ingredients that can be used to brew beer are water, hops, and barley wheat. Budweiser is actually made with rice, which they claim "contributes to a beer’s crisp, clean taste".