Beer archaeologists are peering back millennia to recreate brews from ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome using ancient methods and ingredients.

"...so-called "rebrews" of age-old ales were once savoured in places ranging from Ancient Egypt and Greece to Celtic and Viking Europe. Their drinkers liked a choice too, with 5,000-year-old Babylonian-carved stone tablets depicting recipes for nearly 20 different barley-based beers...

...Another key pioneer of is Patrick McGovern, author of Ancient Brews Rediscovered and Re-Created and a professor at University of Pennsylvania Penn Museum, though he is commonly known to brewers simply as "Dr Pat", as well as the "Indiana Jones of Ancient Ales". In the early 1990s, McGovern oversaw the first hi-tech molecular analysis of yellow residues found in bronze drinking vessels during a 1950s excavation of an ancient Turkish tomb dating back 2,700 years – and claimed to possibly be that of the legendary King Midas.

Whomever the tomb belonged to, the drink sipped at his funeral feast turned out to be a barley beer blended with honey mead and grape wine, and possibly spices like saffron. Intrigued, McGovern teamed up with US brewer Dogfish Head in 1999 to create a highly popular rebrew christened Midas Touch.

He then collaborated further with Dogfish to create a diverse line of ancient ales culminating most recently with 2022's Tree Thieves. This was an ancient Celtic ale style known as gruit, using botanicals for flavouring to more accurately mirror the ancient brewing process before hops were used. "It was bittered with mugwort and carrot seeds," explains McGovern...



This clay Mesopotamian writing tablet shows an example of how beer was allocated in ancient times (Credit: PHAS/Getty Images)

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"I drank WHAT?" (Socrates)

I regularly drink Mead from a 1200-year-old Viking recipe. The two main flavor enhancing herbs are hops (like most good beers) and hibiscus. At $32 a fifth I savor every drop.

I brew Beers and Meads, but don't even try to replicate other brews, except a dark beer called Imperial Russian Stout (sometimes called "Triple Stout") At about 8% it makes itself known. My meads run about 13 to 15%. I brew them sparkling, they are often confused with Champaign.

The mixture of Fruit and Honey when brewed together is called a Momoly. That King Midas blend sounds good, I'll have to look that up!

Ivan

In my 50 year search for the perfect barstool I have come to the conclusion that there are no bad beers.

It's just that some taste better than others.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

Boy am I disappointed in this thread. At first I thought I’d be hearing about the beers in the giant paper cups I used to get at the Milwaukee Brewer’s games at the old County Stadium 50 years ago.

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Tim

LOL. I guess I should have been more clear in the title than just using the kinda generic term "ancient."

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"I drank WHAT?" (Socrates)

Beer, a foundation of civilization.

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No baby we aint

I have repeatedly said that the two most precious liquids on earth are beer and sriracha. A day doesn't go by that I don't partake of copious amounts of both.

Cheers. 🍻

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

Tried making my own beer once, hope that vile tasting recipe is lost for all eternity, along with my homemade wine.

To me it's interesting that
in German beer is "bier."

In English "bier" means
a frame for a coffin.

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Ubi Est Mea

Red Star of Dubuque! Mmmmm.....

Coming from a pretty "beery" portion of the country, I can say that there is more to beer than Bud and Coors and their pale yellow offerings. Variety is the spice of life and I have found some wonderful beers and ales that are different from standard American lagers. Including one seasonal ale brewed by a local establishment that I would offer up to the Gods with confidence.

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The best I can with what I got

I was hoping that someone was going to bring back original Jax, Dixie, Pabst, Falstaff, Regal, Schlitz, Lone Star, and a few others that used to be popular before all the light and craft **** popped up. I think they may have on a couple but if they did it isn't available in this area and I have no way of knowing if it is the original stuff. I guess I'll stick with Yuengling (oldest brewer in the USA which we got just a few years ago in Mississippi) and Miller and Miller Lite until something pops up. I'm sure I left a few names out.

hops has no place in mead. none at all.

In my youth during WW2 we went to a swimming pool near our house. There were Navy guys there & it was the first time I ever saw beer in a can. Much later I really liked Acme beer, then Gobels among others. Now I only have a Blue Moon once in a while. Mostly have a glass of red wine with dinner.

I'm sorry I implied it did! I was just stating that's the only two I use in all of my brewing. Although I would rather have a "Hopped" Mead than a Ginger anything. Yet that vile root is quite popular so, it's a case of "Never say Never!"

Ivan

After years of sampling beers from all over the country, I finally had the realization that all the American lagers are the same, and that you are essentially drinking the label. Your perception affects how the beer tastes to you. That taste may or may not be good on any given day, depending on a number of factors, many of them having more to do with you than on the beer itself. Now, whenever I order one of these beers, I get a glass of ice and pour the beer over it.
Ice is the great equalizer, and even something as nasty as a Budweiser becomes drinkable.

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Not in jail.

I'd settle for either Schlitz or Falstaff.
Little one gallon kegs with the tapper. They fit perfectly on the fridge shelf.
PBR draft isn't bad either.

Oh, I get all the beer snob lingo.
I went into a college bar near Tulane. The whole wall was full of beer taps. They must have had 100 different brews. I asked the server which was the biggest seller.....She pointed to the drain in the bar sink and told me that more beer goes down the drain than gets drank. They have 100 different beers because the kids are looking for beer that tastes like anything other than beer.

There is Shiner 1909......that's as far back as I go.

Wow, I thought that they were bringing back Schlitz.

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MARK

I’ll have a RhineGold chug-a-mug please

OR and WA ae pretty "beery" Is this local nectar available outside the local area? I might be able to find it in Bellingham.

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"I drank WHAT?" (Socrates)

Don't know. It's a McMenamins brew called Sleepy Hollow Nut Brown. It's a fall/winter ale. I don't know if they bottle it. I've only had it in kegs.

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The best I can with what I got

They'e a chain operating 24 breweries, as well as theaters and restaurants, mostly in OR and a couple in WA. Looks like most of their product is "local", available in the pubs and/or in growlers.

Fortunately we're spoilt for choice up in the PNW, though. But I would love to try some of the ancient beers from the article "just because."

I see that 3 years ago McMenamins was hit by a ransomware attack Ye gods- is NOTHING sacred?

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"I drank WHAT?" (Socrates)

I think my very first sip of Beer was a Carling Black Label
From a can opened using a "Church Key"
I was I think about 4-5

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Compact 9mm Just my $0.02

Here ya go. They're in Milton DE. They have an "Ancient Ales series"


A beer / wine / mead hybrid 2700 years in the making

"For more on Midas Touch and the experience of Penn Museum excavators as they uncovered the tomb of the legendary King Midas, read this essay from Dr. Pat."

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"I drank WHAT?" (Socrates)

Heineken is the most over-rated beer I've ever tried. Nasty stuff.

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Common sense isn't so common.

I do so enjoy a good beer thread...and this one is very interesting. I agree with Rusty, there is no such thing as bad tasting beer, with the one exception of a Filipino concoction called San Miguel. It is a great driveway cleaner but if that was all I could get Id be forced to give up beer. It would be nice to have a point of reference when evaluating and or comparing the flavors and textures of various beers. I do believe I would enjoy making a study of it.

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Real men love cats!

I agree. Imagine my surprise and delight when I was treated with a 2O oz frosted mug of Heineken dark draft. It tasted nothing like their regular beer.

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Real men love cats!

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

That one made me smile...a lot.

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Real men love cats!

The Brewers had a great pitcher named Mel Famey who, unfortunately, was a terrible alcoholic that often interfered with his pitching. He was behind the dugout one day tossing back beers, and when he went out to pitch, walked in the winning runners. When the other team members were leaving the stadium, they walked behind the dugout and saw a pile of beer cans. One commented, :



Wait for it....





Coming up....



"That's the beer that made Mel Famey walk us."

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

They brought back a "fake" Schlitz for a while and then somebody brought out a Schlitz that they claimed was the real original formula. I couldn't find it in Ms, but did find a case of it in La. It had been so long since I drank the original that I don't if that one was original formula or not. It was pretty good. I haven't seen it in a while. Also, PBR is available in a few states but I don't know it it's the real thing.

My favorite Brewer.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

"Jusssst a little outside."

mead was a religious drink. One did not mess with Odins drink. I love mead.

Thing is, the hops were normally used in a tea for menapause medicine. The romans went to great lengths to grow hops whenever they started a new colony or town.

The use of hops in BEER was really a minority usage until the german purity laws happened to fight the church and its monopoly on selling grut ingredients to people.

In college we drank mostly Pabst. My education continued near the Rhein, and that included German Bier. I wait each Fall to stock up on Oktoberfest beers, mostly Bells and Sam Adams. Kinda miss those old flippies.

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It's what I do, not what I am.

Jax, Dixie and Falstaff were the big three of my yout growing up in New Orleans. Throw in Ballentines at .89 a six pack. Now if I'm gonna drink a beer, it's Abita Amber preferably on tap

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Forum consigliere

I never acquired a taste for beer. However, being an auld fart, I recall the beer commercials for those days of yesteryear. They used to mention that the beer was bock, lager or pilsner. Now, it's just beer.

Got curious, bock beer is a dark strong lager brewed in the fall and aged over the winter for drinking in the spring. Pilsner is just a light version of lager. OK, not having a refined palate, maybe it is all just beer.

... runners on the corners

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Real men love cats!

Here I thought Bock, Pilsner & Lager was a law firm in PA

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"I drank WHAT?" (Socrates)

Back in the '60s, I used to drink Rainier Ale, aka "The Green Death" out of bottles like this one. It was affordable and had far more flavor than the typical watered-down 3.2 American beers of that era. Unfortunately, it no longer is brewed. R.I.P.

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What, me worry?

Last September the Mrs and I took a cruise up the Rhine River. I forget which town it was, but it was hot that day and we sat at a sidewalk restaurant/bistro/whatever you call it and asked for two biers. He brought out two bottles of the local and two tall glasses of ice. She and I thought *** but we were thirsty so we poured the bier over the ice…… beautimuss and a great memory.

Take away: when in Rome…..

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Tim

I miss being in radio range of Bob. Listened to him in the 70’s and 80’s until I moved away. He’s still going on as I understand, wish I could pull him in on a local broadcast.
Best wishes to the Catcher in the Wry!

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Tim

Stop the presses! I have a long time friend that taught jazz guitar and theory at my shop. For as long as I've known him he has put ice in his beer. I thought he was the only one to do that.

This ole world's gettin' smaller by the minute.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

Ice in your beer That would be like washing your feet with your socks on. Counter productive. But that's just me....

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Real men love cats!

I am with you on the Abita, although I prefer the Andygator myself.
Little hard to find sometimes in North Alabama, but we have a great
Italian joint five minutes from the house that keeps it on tap.

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MARK

I think he just does home games now

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Common sense isn't so common.

We were just watching one of those medical 'whatisit' videos. It seems that prisoners in jail save potatoes and keep them a few weeks, ferment them in a plastic bag, mix it up in the toilet and strain it through a sock to make 'wine'. (I can't remember what they call it) Somebody ate one of the three week old potatoes and got botulism.

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

In college we routinely bought half-barrels of Michelob Beer for any kind of larger get-together or party. Reason being that although not everyone loved Michelob it seemed, after fastidious and lengthy research, that virtually no one complained about it either. At the completion of the careful research we could not say that about any other commonly available beer - so Michelob became our "go-to" even though it was relatively more expensive.

The question is; has anyone seen "regular" Michelob Beer lately? Sure Michelob Ultra, but I'm curious what happened to plain, old, gold label, lava lamp shaped bottle, Michelob.

Bryan

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Ordnung muss sein
SWHF #789

Later Henry Wineheards Private Reserve was about the best replacement and until the smaller brewers started producing excellent local beers it was always my favorite.