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Reproducing an Ancient New World Beer

Posted by kdawson on from the mmm-ancho dept.

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."

9 of 175 comments (clear)

  1. Midas Touch by robbievienna · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Dogfish Head is also well known here in Delaware for recreating the mead found in King Midas' tomb, based on studies done by UPenn archaeologists in Turkey. The beverage is called Midas Touch and is frickin' amazing.

    1. Re:Midas Touch by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Dogfish Head is also well known here in Delaware for recreating the mead found in King Midas' tomb, based on studies done by UPenn archaeologists in Turkey. The beverage is called Midas Touch and is frickin' amazing.

      Even better, you can make it yourself. The recipe is posted here. Mead making is very, very easy. Combine the honey, water and other ingredients in a big plastic bucket, add some wine (or champagne) yeast, yeast nutrient and yeast energizer, and wait. Siphon out into a carboy when fermentation stops. Yummy.

      --
      My blog
    2. Re:Midas Touch by jd · · Score: 5, Interesting

      It's not really a mead, as it is not primarily honey, but it is good. I like the fact that Dogfish are doing this right. The Japanese brewery that recreated Old Kingdom beer (to the point of reconstructing the original brewing vessels) only did so for one season and distribution was limited. A Californian brewery that recreated one of the 27 known Sumerian beers likewise only did a limited edition. Not all places that sell Dogfish's beers sell Midas Touch though.

      Ultimately, there's a huge range of ancient brews that might be very popular but next-to-zero research on the subject and absolutely zero interest from the stores and bars. That has to be fixed before any of this goes anywhere.

      For mead, I've produced my own GPLed mead recipe (GPL version 2) which has proven very popular with those who have tried it.

      --
      It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
  2. Beer Wars by futuresheep · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I love Dogfish Head. As much for the passion they have for producing great beers as for the great beers they produce. Everyone should watch the documentary Beer Wars to see what I mean. http://beerwarsmovie.com/

  3. Re:Want to buy by Aranykai · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I followed a few links and discovered Dogfish Head originally published this beer in June of 2008. Its called "Theobroma".

    http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/occassional-rarities/theobroma.htm

    The blog article in question was just written in May, so I'm assuming he either got an old bottle or the brewers did another production run. I'm going to ask my local dogfish head distributor about it next time I go in and hopefully he can track some down for me.

    --
    If sharing a song makes you a pirate, what do I have to share to be a ninja?
  4. History of Alcohol by geoffrobinson · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Dogish Head also makes Chateau Jihau, which is based on a 9000 year old Chinese recipe. Based on the ingredients of all their historical recreation beers, I can safely say that the ancients just took whatever around them was fermentable, founds some good spices and herbs, and made themselves an alcoholic drink.

    --
    Except for ending slavery, the Nazis, communism, & securing American independence, war has never solved anything.
  5. Homebrew by camg188 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Go to any homebrewing forum and you can find recipes that were taken from ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics.

  6. 3,400 years old? Meh by nofx_3 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    How about beer produced with 45 MILLION year old yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae (aka brewer’s yeast)) cultivated from a piece of amber. I've tried it and it's damn good too: http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/07/brewery/

    --
    Visualize Whirled Peas
  7. Re:The wrong yeast? by Guido+von+Guido · · Score: 2, Interesting

    While you have a good point, I don't think it's likely that this was a sour beer. The first thing to keep in mind is that this is a strong beer--9% ABV. Most sour beers (including lambics) are in the range of 3-5% ABV because the lactic acid bacteria can't handle the higher levels of alcohol.

    Secondly, lambics are aged for at least a year or two (and in reality lambics probably get most of the bacteria that make them interesting from the oak barrels in which they're aged). If this beer was drunk when it was younger, wild bacteria wouldn't have the chance to make as much of a contribution to the flavor. It's hard to say how long it would have been aged before drinking, but the odds are good it would have been drunk within the first 6-9 months. A beer made with malted barley and hops at this ABV would have historically been ready to drink in 6-12 months, but the hops are a factor in that.

    So while I suspect you're right in that bacteria may have made contributions to the flavor profile, I don't think this was a sour beer.