The Archaeology of Beer 89
cold fjord writes with an excerpt from The Atlantic's profile of Dr. Pat McGovern, a biomolecular archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, who has what sounds like a fascinating job: decoding ancient clues about what (and how) humans in the distant past were brewing and drinking.
"'We always start with infrared spectrometry,' he says. 'That gives us an idea of what organic materials are preserved.' From there, it's on to tandem liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, sometimes coupled with ion cyclotron resonance, and solid-phase micro-extraction gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. The end result? A beer recipe. Starting with a few porous clay shards or tiny bits of resin-like residue from a bronze cup, McGovern is able to determine what some ancient Norseman or Etruscan or Shang dynast was drinking." The article points out that McGovern has collaborated with the Dogfish Head brewery to reproduce in modern form six of these ancient recipes.
But ... (Score:2, Funny)
But will these 6 rediscovered recipes be "free as in beer"?
Re:Did Civilization Create Beer? (Score:5, Funny)
...or did Beer help to create Civilization?
Obligatory futurama quote: "Civilization is just an attempt to impress the opposite sex."
Re:But ... (Score:4, Funny)
I kept thinking Ancient Alien Theorists every time the word "ancient" was used in tfa so H2 may have ruined that word for me, but the ingredients listed where not uncommon and did not include fermented badger milk or urine. I would try it.
It’s a hybrid of beer, fruit wine, and mead, flavored with (among other ingredients) yarrow, lingonberries, cranberries, bog myrtle, and birch syrup.
Re:Beer shaped history (Score:5, Funny)
As far as monastery beers go there were also the meal replacement beers (looking at you doppelbocks) during times of fasts when only liquids were allowed to be consumed.