Ale-Conner, an official appointed by a manor, borough, or town to assay the quality of ale served within a particular jurisdiction. In England, from at least the 1300s on, ale-conners were appointed annually in courts leet, special manorial courts that some lords were entitled to convene. These were courts for small claims and petty offenses. The ale conner, also known as the “ale founder” or more grandly as the “Gustator Cervisiae,” was to go from one ale house to the next, tasting the beers and certifying them to be of good enough quality to drink. If the quality of the ale was found wanting, the ale-conner was empowered to drag the offending brewer to the manor court to make restitution. Depending upon the rules of the particular manor, the ale-conner was sometimes also allowed to set the price at which a batch of ale could be sold, or to enforce a manor-wide fixed price for ales.
Given the place of ale in the lives of medieval Englishmen, the role of the ale-conner was taken quite seriously. Here is part of the oath sworn by an ale-conner during the reign of Henry V: And that you, so soon as you shall be required to taste ale of any brewer or brewster, shall be ready to do the same; and in case that it be less good than it used to be before this cry, you, by assent of your Alderman, shall set a reasonable price thereon… nor when you are required to taste ale, shall [you] absent yourself without reasonable cause and true… So God help you and the saints.
There is a commonly believed legend that ale-conners once roved the land wearing specially made leather britches. The ale-conner was said to have tested ale not by drinking it but by pouring some of the beer on a wooden bench and sitting down in the puddle. A half-hour later he would rise from his seat, and if the beer stuck his britches to the bench, this was a sign that the beer was improperly brewed. However, some versions of this story hold that stuck britches were a sign of high quality. In any event, it appears that there is no solid evidence that beer puddle-sitting was ever actually part of the assaying process. That said, ale-conners are still appointed to this day all over England. The role is now entirely ceremonial, and sometimes involves solemn robes and sturdy leather breeches, always worn with considerable humor. London still appoints four ale-conners every year, and the appointment remains highly prized.