I was in our local Waitrose this evening when I saw a new beer on the shelves in the wines and ales department. It was called, "Bath Ales GEM."The label looked rather bland and , to be honest, not really trying to sell itself.A mat orange background , not the sort of in your face orange, bursting into bright glaring flames in fron t of your eye balls but rather a mustardy orange like a pool of sick. But the name Bath in the title intrigued me. Must be a new brewery in Jane country, I thought, quizzically.So I bought a bottle. And when I got home I poured it into a pint glass and tasted. Well, not bad. A malty aroma with a gentle hoppy taste. Yes, quite palatable. I decided I could drink it. However, before the pint of Bath Ale disappeared down my parched gullet I took a picture of the bottle and my pint glass full with the delightful amber liquid.
What would Jane have made of this brew? Well there were pubs just off Milsom Street. I don't think she went into one herself though. Near Steventon and Chawton there are some excellent pubs and some were probably there in her day. English country pubs tend to be old, I'm talking 13th and 14th century.Jane visited some as coaching inns on her way to London, or Winchester, or even in the short distance to Alton from Chawton. Her brother Edward is thought to have built and owned a pub in the village of Farringdon, a mile from Chawton, a place Jane often walked to. He employed a landlord to manage it. Jane had friends in Farringdon so she knew her brother's public house.
Just in case you are interested here is a link to the Bath brewery.
