Brewer's: Groaning Malt

A strong ale brewed for the gossips who attend at the birth of a child, and for those who come to offer to a husband congratulations at the auspicious event. A cheese, called the Ken-no, or “groaning cheese,” was also made for the occasion. (See Ken-No.)

“Meg Merrilies descended to the kitchen to secure her share of the groaning malt.” —SirW.Scott: Guy Mannering, chap. iii.

Source: Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, E. Cobham Brewer, 1894
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