Portrait of a Man with Beer, Frans Hals, c. 1630 

Modern culture associates beer, wine and other drink with college life, fine dining, and craft breweries. However, taking a journey back to Renaissance Europe, would reveal that beer, ale, wine, and drink were all deeply interwoven in the everyday social fabrics of life and contemporary medical practices.  In the Haven of Health, Thomas Cogan describes the proper quantities, and times when to drink water, wine, ale and beer in order to maximize their perceived health benefits. This section of the exhibit will examine Cogan’s and more broadly held English and Renaissance beliefs regarding the importance of drink in daily diet.