In the past, he would have been able to send publicans to the stocks for inflating the price of beer because everyone, including the children, drank it.
“Unfortunately I don’t have those powers,” said the UK’s newest official “ale taster”. But there will be perks. “The role will certainly involve tasting ale. Or I bloomin’ well hope so,” joked Paul Boswell. “They’re not paying me, so I hope I’ll get something out of it.”
Boswell was speaking after being appointed this week as ale taster for Congleton, in Cheshire, part of celebrations marking 750 years since it received its charter.
In 1272, the charter meant four appointments could be made: mayor, town crier, catchpole (debt collector) and ale taster. It was an important job, Boswell said. “The ale taster’s role was basically a combination of trading standards and weights and measures to ensure that the proper ingredients and quality ingredients were being used and they weren’t overcharging for the beer.”
Because of the perils of drinking water, most people then drank ale, Boswell said. That included children, albeit about 1 to 2% strength, he said.
“It was about making sure the quality of the beer was good and it was a fair price – and if people fell foul of that, they were fined or sent to the stocks.”
Boswell will not do that but he does see his role as helping to promote the town’s night-time economy which is, like everywhere, recovering from a tough two years. One plan is to develop an ale trail around the town’s hostelries.
Congleton prides itself on the quality of its pubs and beer and on being a place to unwind after a hard working day.
In the 1600s, people came in large numbers to the town attracted, unfortunately, by the quality of its bear baiting. When the bear died, the town’s Bible, it is said, was sold to pay for a new bear.
Today, Congleton, still known as Beartown, goes to lengths to help charities around the world rescuing bears. The town’s brewery is called Beartown and one of its beers is Kodiak, named after the sort of bear thought to have been kept in the town 500 years ago.
A local historian and costume maker, Jenny Unsworth, has made an ale taster outfit.
Boswell, who moved to Congleton last year, spent 35 years working in the brewing industry before retirement. That, and his passion for medieval history, made it an obvious job to apply for, he said.
He was sworn in this week at a ceremony in the Beartown Tap, in which he read an oath from 1272. The ceremonial role is for one year only and future engagements will include a medieval banquet and fair and the town’s annual food and drink festival.
As ale taster he will adopt the name Benedict Goodale, he said. “Benedict means ‘blessed’ and of course Congleton is blessed with lots of good ales. I just felt that Paul Boswell doesn’t sound very medieval, so we thought I should have a persona I adopt when I put this silly hat on.”
