Another little known fact of English History

THE LEGEND OF BUDDE WASSER

Back in time, when the world was younger then it is now, roughly 1067 AD or so, the English were suffering a great dilemma. Willy the Bastard and his Norman crew were running rampant across the countryside, and being as they were winning they expected to get things for free; things like sex, food, clothing, and beer. Especially beer.

Now beer, being the qintessential English drink that it is, was far too important to the average bloke in the street to allow these Norman dogs to be quaffing it under their noses,especially if the pig-dogs didn't pay for it! And since practically every household prided itself on the quality of their brewing it truly hurt that the Normans could not even appreciate the quality - as their palates had been ruined by drinking that effete Norman wine. Can you imagine, the Normans actually preffered the fermented grape to a properly brewed malt beverage!

Now in considering what to do the doughty English considered well; for if they merely hid their brewings, the Normans were sure to search high and low, uncovering more then just the beer barrels. It would never due for the Norman men at arms to discover just how many English goods were escaping taxation!

While the Anglo-Saxon brains seethed furiously trying to discover an escape from this dillemma a thought finally struck. In the springtime and up until barley harvest when stocks of the previous years barley were nearly exhausted it was customary to use the lees of a previous brewing and double or triple the normal amount of water to make a weak, poor, nearly colourless and tasteless "beer" which, though beneath contempt under normal circumstances, was sufficient for children, serfs, apprentices and the poor. It was better then water, after all, though barely. This drink (for it was difficult indeed to term it "beer") was oft times known as "budde wasser" for it was brewed in the time of the budde (or budtime); spring. But it was known as "wasser" rather then "ale" for few cared to give it the dignity of actually considering the drink to be a proper brew. You could see through it! but for the Normans it would certainly be sufficient - in fact they would probably never notice.

thus the brewers used the spent grains from their actual beermaking to brew batch after batch of budde-wasser - which was left conveniently poorly hidden so that the Norman soldiers could plunder it at their will. The TRUE ales were much better hidden.

Over time budde-wasser became Budwiesser. And thereby hangs the tale.