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Beer!

As many of you had guessed the contest product on this occasion was Beer. In the Middle Ages since clean water was extremely sparse Beer was one of the main ways people could drink liquids without a risk of disease.

Water was also perhaps one of the most unsafe liquids to drink during times of plague or illness. However due to the "Cooking" process involved at the time the beer was sterilized in some way making it much safer to drink.

Modern beer, however, has little in common with the drink that carried that name through the Middle Ages and Renaissance. Looking at a time when beer was often a nutritional necessity and source of protein, was sometimes used as medicine, could be flavoured with everything from the bark of fir trees to thyme and fresh eggs, and was consumed by men, women, and children alike.

The real downside was that it also had a much larger alcohol content as the preservative effects of hops wasn't introduced at the time, least not until the 16th Century.

Monasteries had the best brews, with monks becoming experts at brewing. The beer they served, no doubt, had the effect of cheer for the troubled population by lifting the spirits of everyone who drank it, as well as improving their general health.

In general the Beer of the Middle Ages was made using simply Water, and Grain stored together in a sealed container for a short length of time, typically a few hours, or days for a fuller flavour.
They were also mixed with a range of herbs and one recipe found in an old script from the time named "Cock's Ale" actually used Chicken Meat for flavouring.

Imagine, Chicken Flavoured Beer? Now, that's a thought..
Nevertheless, the Bitter flavouring we know of today actually comes from the Hops the Beer is made with to give it it's natural flavour, and preserve it for longer lengths of time.