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Jun 5, 2009 02:00 PM | 52
This summer, how would you like to lean back in your lawn chair and toss back a brew made from what may be the world’s oldest recipe for beer? Called Chateau Jiahu, this blend of rice, honey and fruit was intoxicating Chinese villagers 9,000 years ago—long before grape wine had its start in Mesopotamia.
University of Pennsylvania molecular archaeologist Patrick McGovern first described the beverage in 2005 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences based on chemical traces from pottery in the Neolithic village of Jiahu in Northern China. Soon after, McGovern called on Sam Calagione at the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery in Milton, Del., to do the ancient recipe justice. Later this month, you can give it a try when a new batch hits shelves across the country. The Beer Babe blog was impressed, writing that it is “very smooth,” and “not overly sweet.”
But that’s not the only strange brew Dogfish is shipping out this summer. Next week, the brewery will be bottling up the first large batch of Sah’tea for the general public—a modern update on a ninth-century Finnish beverage. In the fall, The New Yorker documented the intricate research and preparation that went into making the beer, which was first offered on tap at the brewery in May. In short, brewmasters carmelize wort on white hot river rocks, ferment it with German Weizen yeast, then toss on Finnish berries and a blend of spices to jazz up this rye-based beverage. Reviewers at the BeerAdvocate universally praised Sah'tea, comparing it to a fruity hefeweizen. One user munched on calamari as he downed a pint and described the combo as “a near euphoric experience."
And Dogfish is also bringing back one of their more unusual forays into alcohol-infused time travel. Called Theobroma, this cocoa-based brew was hatched from a chemical analysis of 3,200-year-old pottery fragments from the Cradle of Chocolate, the Ulua Valley in Honduras. Archaeologist John Henderson at Cornell University first described the beverage in 2007 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, pushing the first use of the chocolate plant back by 600 years. Dogfish first sold Theobroma in May 2008, and the next batch—made from a blend of cocoa, honey, chilies, and annatto—will be on shelves and in taps in July. The chocolate beer was apparently too sweet for Evan at The Full Pint, who writes that it contained “a ton and a half of sugary sweetness” with “an insane amount of gooeyness left behind on the roof of your mouth."
Image of woman drinking beer courtesy a4gpa on Flickr
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52 Comments
Add CommentThanks for selecting one of my photographs for your article. More importantly, thanks for attributing my work and respecting the license agreement (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en).
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this-- Eric R Ward (aka A4GPA)
These beverages, and more, will be featured at a public broadcasting fund raising dinner in Scottsdale, AZ this month:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://tinyurl.com/ancient-ales
To smithers85: Burn! He quis definitely got you there.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAlso, I just registered for SciAm to tell you this :P.
Am I the only one who's excited to drink these brews? Here's to the human race, getting wasted on whatever's handy since time immemorial!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisD: I am also looking forward to taste testing this ancient recipes!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI registered for SciAm to tell you this
pretty funny discussion also prompted me to register, just so i could say that; as well as - D, I think I may beat you on the scale of excitement.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiscool news none the less
I registered a long time ago. Most of you respondents have had too much brewski or have lost too many neurons to brewski to intelligently reply.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPeterT
9,000 year old recipe for getting pissed. I LIKE IT!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOK, fine. I registered too, just cause all the rest of you did. And, I want to try that beer!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNow, don't all of you go jumping off any cliffs!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisJust wondering, for this to be the same brew imbibed 9000 years ago, wouldn't it require the use of the same yeast for fermentation? Not that I wouldn't welcome the chance to toss down a few... After 8 or 10 who cares anyway.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe Finnish word is "sahti", more or less pronounced as suchty, with ch as in a Scottish loch, or the h sound in Hugh or huge without the following "you" sound.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe brewer's version seems really tarted up compared to the homemade version most Finnish households use.
I wonder...if public funds were used for this molecular archaeology and if proportions as well as ingredients were analyzed, then the recipe would be public property...don't you think?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisO_B
P.S. I think I'm addicted to Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA.
MMmmmmmm....Beeer! The cause of, and solution to, most of lifes problems....H. Simpson.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMMmmmmmm....Beeer! The cause of, and solution to, most of lifes problems....H. Simpson.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMMmmmmmm....Beeer! The cause of, and solution to, most of lifes problems....H. Simpson.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI registered for SciAm just to tell you that I registered for SciAm just to tell you this.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am seriously baffled by the thought of tasting a cold refreshing Ancient brew. I can't wait.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFor the past two to three years my two cousins and I have always been thrilled with visiting the Dogfish Head Brewery in Rehoboth. Every Thursday night we arrive with eager bellies and parched lips. We then greet Linda (one of the main bartenders), and Olivia , and the rest of the girls of course, sit down at the bar, and we are immediately infatuated with the considerable aroma from behind the bar. Making it to this day of the week, our hearts are finally quivering with enjoyment. We love Dogfish beer. There is no other way to put it. Because of this excitement, hell, because of Sam, my two cousins and I would have never been so inspired by the great natural tastes of what Dogfish conceives. I believe for us, that when we first came into contact with Dogfish beer, the flavor is whats special. Dogfish beer, to us is home. Without it our passion for brewing would have never existed. Thanks to everyone, and thanks to Sam.
After reading this article, I kept wondering, if anyone else is paying any attention, umm, what about the Archaeologist?! Since these pre-historic Chinamen used Rice, was this a precursor to Japan's Sake? Is it a sister, in the sense is it on the lines of such a 'hot' brew? Does this Chinese Dynasty still exist and is there anyone of their descendants still ritualized by the production of this unique concoction? I know this question might sound rediculous, but, like the article mentioned, which Tourism Archaeologists might heavily comprehend, that there are other cultures to this day who harvest, yield, and ferment important and specific ingredients,'down-the-line' from past ancestors, to make such brews. How can we dive into that prehistory? This entire topic of , is madly thriving. Could I possibly pursue Prehistoric Archaeological Alcholic Production for my Masters?
Decent article, how about telling us WHERE we can find these new brews??
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOr how about telling us that it was released in JULY 2006! This article is only THREE YEARS LATE!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFenatryl in a dosage of .025 mg goes for $50 on the street. There are 40 million doses in a kilogram. It is one of the new popular street drugs. originally used as a painkiller for Cancer victims etc. With a value of $200 million a kilogram and instant repeat business is the genie out of the bag?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNow matter how MUCH one drinks, it is always classy to do the micro or imported and hold the pinky up just right<smiling> I will definitely be on the look out for the Chinese brew "Jiahu" The Sah tea I'll taste, but I am a beer drinker and don't like the fruit introduction that seems more wine like...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI have been a fan of Dogfish Head's beers since I heard about and found their first archeological experiment, now sold as Midas Touch. But what really won me over was their World Wide Stout. During the brewery tour they say that, after the second year's brewing result, they decided that mankind wasn't ready for 23% alcohol beer. I had a bottle of it once at their alehouse in Gaithersburg, MD, and I still disagree; great beer.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am looking forward to trying the Theobroma. I missed it the first time around. Yum!
The dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed (1 Corinthians 15:22)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIts really very funny...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThanks for sharing..
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You first write, that the ancient beer is a blend of rice, honey and fruit, but then go on to describe a process which lacks the rice and honey, and is rye based. So, just how does this resemble the ancient brew? From what you write, this is a new concoction entirely, and has no resemblance to the ancient brew.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe photo is nice...but couldn't you have shown us some of the beers the article speaks of?? Phooey.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThey described three different brews.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt's CARAMELIZE...Not carmelize. Otherwise I want some!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt's CARAMELIZE....Not carmelize!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI rarely take a drink, but I'm fascinated by the thought of trying an ancient beer recipe.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI registered for SciAm to tell you this.
I rarely take a drink, but I'm fascinated by the thought of trying an ancient beer recipe.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI registered for SciAm to tell you this.
Rice wine with fruit and honey is common brew in jars in the hill and plain tribals. Hor is this chinese diff?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this(Sarcasm) Sorry, this is a tale of fancy, we all know the earth is only 6000 years old, how can we have a 9000 year old brew? (/Sarcasm)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhat came first bread or beer?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisShe really doesn't look 9,000 years old and I'd sure love to find her on the shelf.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisStrange that a friend sent this article on Chinese sweet rice beer or is it saki? I'm an artist-astronomer, winning with my awarded-published astronomy art and as a born and raised Portlander, reading about beer from somewhere else? (; We are the microbrew capital of the world in Portland Oregon!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this- Mark
Strange that a friend sent this article on Chinese sweet rice beer or is it saki? I'm an artist-astronomer, winning with my awarded-published astronomy art and as a born and raised Portlander, reading about beer from somewhere else? (; We are the microbrew capital of the world in Portland Oregon! I notice that others registered on responding to an article about the solar system. - Mark www.markseibold.com
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this- Mark
What's with "cold brewskis"? There was no refrigeration 9,000 y.a.; the beer was brewed and drunk warm. Beer = thin bread; bread = thick beer.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMcGovern and Dogfish Head Brewery are also responsible for bringing us Midas Touch, the 2700-year-old brew that celebrants drank at the historical King Midas's funerary feast. It's fermented from roughly 90% muscat grape and 10% honey. Oh, and it's potent.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thissangambayard-c-m.com
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thissangambayard-c-m.com
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI am sure that we will pick up a few of these and perform our own in-depth review
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswww.myweeklybeer.com
Mark Seibold - You made the bold claim:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"We are the microbrew capital of the world in Portland Oregon!"
Perhaps it is, but from what I recall of Germany in the early 1970s, every little town of any mention whatsoever had its own brewery. Most brewed but one staple beer (typically unchanged for more than 500 years) and perhaps a few special beers, weissbier, for example. I lived in Augsburg where, of course Augsburger beer was produced. Nearby Munich produced many beers, especially Lowenbrau (1383) and Spaten, but my favorite was Hacker-Pschorr Munchen Edelhell (1417).
I don't know much about beer, but I know they had a lot of breweries making a lot if beer in Germany - perhaps even more than Portland! I also know that I have many fond memories of Germany and German beer, but all I remember of Portland was that it rained the week I was there. Nothing personal, though - I imagine Portland has some good beer...
A year old and popping up among the popular stories again.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIs this going to be like the "Mars looking as big as the moon this year" email going around every year? :D
Johnay - Yeah, I been puzzling over what form of activity could have brought this article to the Most Popular list again. There's apparently critical information missing or a biased process, like maybe the chief editor's thumb is on the scale...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMore likely just a lack of a year in the web search results it turns up in.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisto jtdwyer: didn't we meet in a gasthause in Schwabach in '73... not that I would remember. Those local 'hausebrau's' were always new and different. Shotzie, oh, shotzie, zwei bier, bitte... ser schoern, ya!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisto Johnay: sorry I'm late to the party, hic*
Seriously, I'm ready to taste this. I didn't even know folks were digging up old beer recipes. oogling Fish Head Dog brrewry riehht now! I mean, wait, spilled my, ohh #&@*...
tichead - I do remember something about a gasthause in Schwabach, but I thought I left in '72. Aber ich vergessen alles.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI think it irresponsible and reckless of Scientific American to feature this product in their magazine. The alcoholic beverage industry contributes to Man Made Global Warming/Climate Change on a number of fronts. The farms that supply the organic constituents of these products are notorious sources of heat-trapping gases. The effects of the beverages result in automobile accidents, which tie up traffic and cause even more heat-trapping gases to be released in the atmosphere. Imbibing these beverages often promotes a person's appetite for starchy and fatty snacks, which then cause heat-trapping gases to be noisily emitted.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisQuantumQualifax - How do the cell phone manufactures do with heavy metals, including lithium batteries, and auto 'accidents'? They may have it all over the beer brewers. And those cattle ranchers & dairy farmers got all the gas production!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe fundamental problem is the production of consumers. The human population has in creased from 2.5 billion to nearly 7 billion in my lifetime. While this makes all manufacturers more profitable, humanity will soon no longer be able to meet its global resource requirements. Unless some acceptable method is found to reduce the population, it will be reduced by starvation, war or some other unacceptable means.
Just shows, people have been seeking out mind-altering substances for ever!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this<a href=http://hullrotterdamferry.co.uk>hull rotterdam ferry</a>