Forms: 4 breuster, brewester(e, 5– brewster, 5 north. browstar, -stere, 6 Sc. broustar, -ster, browster. [f. BREW v. + fem. suffix -STER: cf. baxter. See also BROWSTER.]
1. orig. A woman that brews, a female brewer.
c. 1308. Rel. Ant., II. 176. Hail be ȝe, brewesters, with ȝur galuns, Potels and quarters.
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. V. 306. Beton þe brewestere bad hym good morwe.
c. 1425. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 662. Hec brasiatrix, brewster. Ibid. (c. 1450), 692. Hec pandoxatrix, a brewster.
1820. Scott, Abbot, xv. We will play … in Dame Martin the Brewster’s barn-yard.
2. Extended to both sexes: A brewer. (Only north Eng. and Sc. since 15th c., exc. as in 3.)
1377. Langl., P. Pl., B. Prol. 218. Baxsteres and brewesteres, and bocheres manye.
c. 1430. Lydg., Min. Poems (1840), 211. Bakerys, browsterys, vyntenerys, with fressh lycour.
c. 1440. Promp. Parv., 54. Browstar or brewere, pandoxator, pandoxatrix.
c. 1550. Sir J. Balfour, Practicks (1754), 15. Brouster, for his fie, five pundis.
1607. North Riding Rec. (1883), I. 71. Fr. Steele brewster presented for selling ale contrary to the Statute.
3. Comb. and Attrib. brewster-wife (Sc.), a woman that brews or sells malt liquors; Brewster Sessions, sessions for the issue of licenses to trade in alcoholic liquors.
a. 1774. Fergusson, Leith Races. The *Browster wives thegither harl A’ trash that they can fa on.
1818. Burt’s Lett. N. Scotl., I. 323. Notes, A bad specimen of a Scotish brewster-wife.
1864. A. McKay, Hist. Kilmarnock, 128. The brewster-wives had formed a scheme for raising the price of ale.
1883. Standard, 7 Sept., 3/6. At the Canterbury City *Brewster Sessions yesterday the whole of the existing licences (numbering 198) were renewed with the exception of two.
