Reproducing an Ancient New World Beer

The Edible Geography blog has an amusing piece about Patrick McGovern, the "Indiana Jones of Ancient Ales, Wines, and Extreme Beverages," and his role in the production of a 3,400-year-old Mesoamerican beer recreated from a chemical analysis of pottery fragments. "McGovern describes his collaboration with Dogfish Head craft brewers ... to create a beer based on the core ingredients of early New World alcohol: chocolate beans (in nib form, as the cacao pods are too perishable to transport from Honduras to Delaware), honey, corn, ancho chillis, and annatto. ... The result? Cloudy and quite strong (9% A.B.V.), but more refreshing than you would think: the chocolate is savoury rather than sweet, and the chilli is just a very subtle, almost herbal, aftertaste. There is almost no head."

Comments

Excellent!

[sv_libertarian]

Just the thing to toast the arrival of 2012 with

Almost no head

[FShort]

welcome to my marriage

The Indiana Jones of Alcohol

[pushing-robot]

Okay, that is officially the best job description ever.

Re:The Indiana Jones of Alcohol

[pushing-robot]

THIS BELONGS IN MY STOMACH!

FInally a good story

[plopez]

There's been a drought of good stories on Slashdot lately, leaving me parched for more. This is a great way to pop open some new discussion, jump in, and drink deeply of the conversation. Did anyone find the actual recipe? I'm thirsty for more knowledge.

Re:FInally a good story

[mortonda]

The puns are just bubbling from you aren't they? Got any more brewing?

Sorry, had to head that one off at the pass.

Re:FInally a good story

[value_added]

Got any more brewing

Consider the following as a barley funny rough draught.

My approach for whatever ales me when reading Slashot is to reduce the problem to pint-sized portions, then with stout determination engage in vigorous physical activity to ferment a solution, ideally, starting with a bending of the elbow. When possible, I leave it to the barmaid to determine whether the glass is half-empty or half-full.

Cheers.

Missing from the article...

[Foobar of Borg]

The writer didn't mention his discovery of an ancient tablet written in an ancient Mayan language. The tablet describes the method of brewing this beer and declares that beer is "the cause, and solution, to all of life's problems!"

Inhaling Beer?

[carlzum]

The head on a Guinness stout has nothing on this beer...

It was apparently served with a thick head of foam, in vessels designed so that “one had the option to inhale the foam or drink directly from the mouth of the vessel.”

Heroin users call that chasing the dragon :)

Re:History of Alcohol

[spatley]

Sounds like the ancients were wise and resourceful people with a keen sense of priority.

The result? Cloudy and quite strong (9% A.B.V.)

[PatPending]

"The result? Cloudy and quite strong (9% A.B.V.)" --like my urine.

AC had a few.

[tivoKlr]

"They also have other ancient ales and everyone beer they make I just plan awesome."

Really? How many Ancient Ales did you have tonight?

Re:History of Alcohol

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

They were also achingly poor and forever desperate to numb the agonizing grind of their squalid lives.

Luckily, when it comes to developing a culinary tradition of booze, those two statements are essentially synonymous....

That's not Mayan language, it's Homeric verse.

[xmark]

Season 8, 18th episode, to be precise.

Pottery fragments?

[PatPending]

"...a 3400-year-old Mesoamerican beer recreated from a chemical analysis of pottery fragments."

How do we know the pottery fragments weren't from a piss pot?

Re:Pottery fragments?

[WinstonWolfIT]

Because the brew didn't come out tasting like Old Milwaukee.

hmm...

[frnic]

Problem is that after a pint you have an uncontrollable urge to declare your independence, and write a constitution...