ÑóẊîöʼn
8th July 2009, 08:16
LINK (http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/2009/06/05/beer-swilling-molecular-archaeologist-recreates-9000-year-old-brew/)
Beer-swilling Molecular Archaeologist Recreates 9,000-year-old Brew
http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/2039e701ad052e0c6853ee95f8cbeb97?s=56&d=http%3A%2F%2Fs3.wordpress.com%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fvip%2Fhowstuffworks%2Fimages%2F gravatar-default.jpg&r=PG (http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/author/hswaloudermilk/) by Allison Loudermilk (http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/author/hswaloudermilk/)
June 5, 2009
http://howstuffworks.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/blog-beer.jpg?w=360&h=360
Chances are you'll be knocking back some nondescript beer, not Chateau Jiahu, while you watch the NBA finals. (Barry Wong/Getty Images)
I like beer (http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/beer.htm). I’m also a fan of a glass of red wine (http://www.howstuffworks.com/food-facts/wine/how-to-taste-wine.htm) or of something froofy and sparkling in the summer, but having been pregnant for the last, um, eternity, what I’ve really missed is a frosty cold Sweetwater 420 (http://www.sweetwaterbrew.com/) extra pale ale from Atlanta’s little hometown brewery. Or maybe a Sierra Nevada pale ale. Ooh, or a cool, golden hefeweizen with a slice of lemon drifting lazily on top.
Yes, I’ve drunk a fair amount of beer — high brow, low brow and Old Milwaukee — but I’ve never had a 9,000-year-old brew. Or rather a brew compiled from a 9,000-year-old recipe. And that’s precisely what’s coming your way courtesy of the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, according to the 60-Second Science blog (http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=9000-year-old-brew-hitting-the-shel-2009-06-05).
The beer in question is called Chateau Jiahu (http://beeradvocate.com/articles/687), and we have the Chinese to thank for it. It seems the Chinese weren’t averse to an occasional drink several thousand years ago, and one of their beverages of choice was a blend of fermented rice, fruit and honey that archaeologists stumbled on. (Do you think any of them stole a sip?)
Dogfish decided to recreate history, with the help of Patrick McGovern, a molecular archaeologist from the University of Pennsylvania. The Dogfish version uses rice flakes, wildflower honey, muscat grapes, barley malt, hawthorn fruit and — of course — chrysanthemums. Then the brewers add rice and barley malt to make the mash for starch conversion and degradation. A few rounds of heating, chilling and a sprinkling of sake yeast, and you have one old beer on your hands.
According to Alstrom Bros at the BeerAdvocate (http://beeradvocate.com/articles/687), Chateau Jiahu tastes like this: “very smooth on the palate with a creamy carbonation buildup, seltzery feel and tonic-water bite. This is followed by a quick and sharp tannic tartness that oddly lingers in the background and into the finish.”
Sounds good to me. Look for it this summer, beer drinkers. While you’re sipping, do a little reading at HowStuffWorks.com (http://www.howstuffworks.com/):
How Beer Works (http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/beer.htm)
Top 5 Beer-making Tips (http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/top-5-beer-making-tips.htm)
How Men Work (http://people.howstuffworks.com/men.htm)
How to Taste Wine (http://www.howstuffworks.com/food-facts/wine/how-to-taste-wine.htm)
Wow. That sounds quite nice, actually. Good to know that science can revive lost arts.
Beer-swilling Molecular Archaeologist Recreates 9,000-year-old Brew
http://0.gravatar.com/avatar/2039e701ad052e0c6853ee95f8cbeb97?s=56&d=http%3A%2F%2Fs3.wordpress.com%2Fwp-content%2Fthemes%2Fvip%2Fhowstuffworks%2Fimages%2F gravatar-default.jpg&r=PG (http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/author/hswaloudermilk/) by Allison Loudermilk (http://blogs.howstuffworks.com/author/hswaloudermilk/)
June 5, 2009
http://howstuffworks.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/blog-beer.jpg?w=360&h=360
Chances are you'll be knocking back some nondescript beer, not Chateau Jiahu, while you watch the NBA finals. (Barry Wong/Getty Images)
I like beer (http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/beer.htm). I’m also a fan of a glass of red wine (http://www.howstuffworks.com/food-facts/wine/how-to-taste-wine.htm) or of something froofy and sparkling in the summer, but having been pregnant for the last, um, eternity, what I’ve really missed is a frosty cold Sweetwater 420 (http://www.sweetwaterbrew.com/) extra pale ale from Atlanta’s little hometown brewery. Or maybe a Sierra Nevada pale ale. Ooh, or a cool, golden hefeweizen with a slice of lemon drifting lazily on top.
Yes, I’ve drunk a fair amount of beer — high brow, low brow and Old Milwaukee — but I’ve never had a 9,000-year-old brew. Or rather a brew compiled from a 9,000-year-old recipe. And that’s precisely what’s coming your way courtesy of the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, according to the 60-Second Science blog (http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=9000-year-old-brew-hitting-the-shel-2009-06-05).
The beer in question is called Chateau Jiahu (http://beeradvocate.com/articles/687), and we have the Chinese to thank for it. It seems the Chinese weren’t averse to an occasional drink several thousand years ago, and one of their beverages of choice was a blend of fermented rice, fruit and honey that archaeologists stumbled on. (Do you think any of them stole a sip?)
Dogfish decided to recreate history, with the help of Patrick McGovern, a molecular archaeologist from the University of Pennsylvania. The Dogfish version uses rice flakes, wildflower honey, muscat grapes, barley malt, hawthorn fruit and — of course — chrysanthemums. Then the brewers add rice and barley malt to make the mash for starch conversion and degradation. A few rounds of heating, chilling and a sprinkling of sake yeast, and you have one old beer on your hands.
According to Alstrom Bros at the BeerAdvocate (http://beeradvocate.com/articles/687), Chateau Jiahu tastes like this: “very smooth on the palate with a creamy carbonation buildup, seltzery feel and tonic-water bite. This is followed by a quick and sharp tannic tartness that oddly lingers in the background and into the finish.”
Sounds good to me. Look for it this summer, beer drinkers. While you’re sipping, do a little reading at HowStuffWorks.com (http://www.howstuffworks.com/):
How Beer Works (http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/beer.htm)
Top 5 Beer-making Tips (http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/top-5-beer-making-tips.htm)
How Men Work (http://people.howstuffworks.com/men.htm)
How to Taste Wine (http://www.howstuffworks.com/food-facts/wine/how-to-taste-wine.htm)
Wow. That sounds quite nice, actually. Good to know that science can revive lost arts.