Beer-names, brands and styles

The old names of beer are a cause of much confusion. Historians sometimes call them generic names. A beer-name could evolve into a kind of beer-style slowly. Often a foreign or 'strange' beer was taxed heavily (1) and attempts would be made to copy the beer locally creating an early 'style' (2-5).

Copying beers
In England attempts were made to copy Brunswick Mum and 17th century London knew several 'Mum houses'; people were very slowly getting used to bitter hopped beer next to their sweet and strong ale (6). 'Englands improvement' by Andrew Yarranton, tells us extensively about copying Brunswick Mum, a dark hopped beer (7). The original Mum was banned eventually in 1670. A very old song called 'Brunswick Mum' is in the notes below (11).


for Trade will go .. where it can be cheapest done

Specialist in all styles
In the 14th century the old beer-city of Gouda produced 'Hamburg beer' (8), in the province of Zeeland one brewed Mol, probably originating in Nijmegen. Beer-city Delft was once known to be 'specialist in all styles' (9). In 1677 we find that the Dutch city of Dordrecht was 'famous for her English and other beer' (10).

Generic beer
Early beer-styles emerged where attempts were made to copy the original. This meant that for instance Mol, Mom and Jopen beer were not undoubtedly from respectively Nijmegen (the Netherlands), Brunswick (Braunschweig, Germany) and Danzig, (Gdansk, Poland), but could come from almost everywhere. Beneath one can find a collection of sources regarding generic beer-names.

English beer
A special category is ‘English beer’ that could come from London or elsewhere in England but was also popular and made on de continent. The Dutch cities Delft and Dordrecht in particular were once famous for making English beer. From recovered recipes we know English beer was made almost completely with barley.

Frederik Ruis

About copying beer and the early emergence of styles:

(1)
Korte chronycke van vele gedenckweerdige geschiedenissen
soo in de principaele steden van het hertoghdom van Brabant als in de stadt en provincie van Mechelen
Volume 3 (Google eBoek)
J. Jacobs

Vervolgh der Chronycke van Mechelen
Van den 4. Februarii 1514
(volgens den ouden Stiel)
tot den Jaere 1519.

Item de Bieren die over zee quamen waren Hamborgs-bier, Yepen-bier, en Mommen-bier, welcke uytlandse Bieren drtmael soo veel belast wirden als de Inlandsche Bieren.

'And the beer that came from overseas was Hamburg-beer, Yepen-beer (Jopen-beer?), and Mommen-beer (Mum-beer), which foreign beers where taxed three times above domestic beer.'

(2)
Resolutien van Holland
(Google eBoek)
1596

 p.217
Van Engelsche, Lubecksche, Hamborger Bieren, soo wel die over Zee koomen, als die voor sulke hier te Lande gebrouwen worden

'Of English, Lübeck, Hamburg Beers, those that come from over seas, as well as those brewed here in this land'

(3)
Resolutien van Holland
(Google eBoek)
1606

p.1049
en andere Binnenlandsche gebrouwen Bieren, in het fatsoen van Engelsche, Lubeeksche en Hamburger Bieren

'And other domestic brewed beers, in the way of English, Lubeck en Hamburg Beers'

(4)
Historie of Verhael van saken van staet en oorlogh, in, ende ontrent de Vereenigde Nederlanden
(Google eBoek)
Lieuwe van Aitzema
I. Veely
1664

p.556
Bronswycksche Mon
Alderhande soorten van ander Mon

'All other sorts of Mon'

(5)
Resolutien van Holland
(Google eBoek)
1675

p.8
in't fatsoen van Engelsche, Lubeekische ende Uytheemsche Tonnen geslagen

'in the way of English, Lubeck and foreign barrels filled'

(6)
The diary of Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys, Henry Benjamin Wheatley
G. E. Croscup
Volume 7
1664

p.119
Thence to my uncle Wight's, and he not being at home I went with Mr. Norbury near hand to the Fleece, a mum house(1) in Leadenhall, and there drunk mum and by and by broke up

(1) There were several mum houses in various parts of London. One of Andrew Yarranton's wild schemes, at this time, was to bring the mum trade from Brunswick, and fix it on Stratford-on-Avon. See his 'England's Improvement.'

(7)
Englands improvement by sea and land to out-do the Dutch without fighting
Andrew Yarranton
1677

p.212
Old-Brunswick Mum
New-Brunswick Mum

'as Hamborough now is to Old-Brunswick; for Trade will go and creep into any part where it can be cheapest done'

(8)
Geschiedenis der Heeren en beschrijving der stad van der Goude:
meest uit oorspronkelijke stukken bij een verzameld, Volumes 2-3 (Google eBoek)
Cornelis Johan Lange van Wijngaarden, Jacobus Nicolaas Scheltema
Gebroeders van Cleef
1817

p.397 Goudts-Hamburchs 1392

Bijer te brouwen, dat men noemt Goudts-Hamburchs.
..den bier te brouwen op den aart van hoemborch..

'Beer brewed, that one will call Gouda-Hamburg'
'beer brewed in the manner of Hamburg'

(9)
Oudheden en gestichten van Delft en Delfland
(Google eBoek)
Hugo Franciscus van Heussen
C. Vermey
1720

pLXVI
Delfs-Luyks, Delfs-Engelsch, Delfsche Pharao, Delfs-Israël

(10)
Beschryvinge der stad Dordrecht
Volume 1 (Google eBoek)
Matthys Balen
Symon Onder de Linde
1677

p.74
vermaard door haren Dordse Mom, Engels en ander Bier.

(Dordrecht) 'famous for her Dordse Mom, English and other Beer.'

De borgelyke tafel, om lang gesond sonder ziekten te leven
(Google eBoek)
Stephanus Blankaart
Jan Ten Hoorn
1683

p.83
Onder dese sterke bieren zijn de bremer bieren het Hoppen oft jopen bier, rostoker mom, dorstse mom, serpser bier

'Amongst these strong beers are the bremer beers the Hoppen or jopen beer, rostoker mom, dorstse mom, serbser beer'

Jaarboeken van het koningrijk der Nederlanden
Deel 2 (Google eBoek)
Martinus Stuart
E. Maaskamp
1773

p.1204
Van de Bieren en Mol, welke binnen Onze Provincie van Zeeland, zoo in de Steden, als ten platten Lande gebrouwen

'Of the Beers and Mol, that are brewed in our Province of Zeeland, likewise in the cities and rural areas'

Tegenwoordige Staat der Vereenigde Nederlanden
Volume 18 (Google eBoek)
Isaak Tirion
1790

p.445
't jopen bier, te Zwolle gebrouwen wordende, het onderwerp is, en waar men de uitdrukking aantreft van Zwolsche Heeren bieren. (17. Jul. 1605)

'The Jopen beer, brewed in Zwolle, being the subject, and where one will find the expression Zwolle Lords beer'

Staat der generale Nederlandsche Oost-Indische Compagnie
dato 14 July 1791, Volume 2 (Google eBoek)
Nederlandsche Oost-Indische Compagnie
J. Allart
1792

p.147
en Jopen Bier, om te dienen tot voldoening van den Eisch voor Indiën.

'and Jopen Beer, able to meet the demands of India'

Geschiedenis der Heeren en beschrijving der stad van der Goude
meest uit oorspronkelijke stukken bij een verzameld
Volume 1 (Google eBoek)
Cornelis Johan Lange van Wijngaarden, Jacobus Nicolaas Scheltema
Gebroeders van Cleef
1813

p.670
ook dronk men veel Hamburger bier, het welk men ook ter Goude nabrouwde

'people also drank a lot of Hamburg beer, and this was copied in Gouda'

(11)
The Jacobite relics of Scotland
being the songs, airs, and legends, of the adherents to the house of Stuart
Volume 1 (Google eBoek)
Printed for W. Blackwood,
1819

p.414, 415
To banish Brunswick mum