Curiosities of Ale and Beer
- Year
- 1886
- Era
- 19th century
- Origin
- England · Europe
- Language
- English
- Category
- Single-subject
Curiosities of Ale and Beer is a wide-ranging anthology compiled by John Bickerdyke, pen name of Charles Henry Cook, surveying the lore, literature, brewing practices, and social customs surrounding malt liquors in Britain and beyond. Drawing on classical authors, medieval records, and Victorian sources, it remains a foundational reference in English beer historiography, valued for assembling material on alehouses, brewing techniques, and folk traditions otherwise scattered across earlier writings.
Cooking from this book
Cock Ale
Signature dishAmong the antiquarian beer lore gathered by Bickerdyke, Cock Ale stands out as a curiosity of the English drinking past. It was a fortified ale in which a boiled and pounded old rooster was steeped with spices and sack, producing a rich, almost broth-like brew once favoured by seventeenth-century gentlemen. The book is associated with it because Bickerdyke delights in resurrecting such forgotten concoctions, illustrating how beer once strayed far beyond the simple pint.
An editorial note on a dish associated with this book, written for The Coquinist. It is not a reproduction of the book's recipe.
