Using ancient methods and ingredients, archaeologists are tapping into millennia past to recreate beers from ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome.
Craft Beers with a Historical Twist
Some of the most fascinating brews created in recent years offer a glimpse into human history. These "revival beers" replicate libations once enjoyed in locales as far-flung as ancient Egypt and Greece to Celtic and Viking Europe. They're also surprisingly varied, with 5,000-year-old stone tablets recording recipes for nearly 20 different barley-based beers.
The Beer Archaeologist
Combining his skills, Travis Rupp has brewed a line of ancient revival beers, earning him the nickname "The Beer Archaeologist" and inspiring the name of his business.
"Recreating ancient beers lets us touch and taste history. It humanizes our ancestors and helps us realize they weren't so different," says Rupp, a professor of classics and anthropology at the University of Colorado Boulder who has a background in professional brewing.
Reviving Ancient Brewing Techniques
Beyond intriguing modern palates, these ancient brewing methods reveal the basic formula for beermaking that's endured for millennia: germinating grains, then drying and heating them in water to release sugars. Yeast is then added, initiating the fermentation that creates beer.
A key difference between ancient and modern brewing lies in the use of hops. Though hops have grown wild in Europe with various cultivars for at least 10,000 years, their first recorded use in beer is by French monks in the 9th century. Hops are versatile, adding different effects when added at various stages of the boil: early for pronounced bitterness, mid-boil for optimum flavor, and late for increased aroma.
Lessons Learned
While the fundamentals of beermaking have remained consistent throughout history, revival brews highlight the bolder flavors of ancient beers crafted centuries before hops, offering valuable lessons for brewers today.
Since 2016, Rupp has overseen Avery Brewing's Ales of Antiquity line, spanning both time and geography. One world-ancient revival recipe, called Nestor's Cup, draws on an inscription believed to date from about 1600-1100 BCE and includes barley, einkorn wheat, ground egg shells, figs, and charred junipers berries. Rupp has also recreated a 900-year-old South American corn beer, or chicha, which nearly got him fired due to its unique fermentation process involving saliva created by chewing corn.
Ancient Fermentation Vessels
While modern beermaking relies largely on closed steel fermentation tanks, ancient brewers used open vessels—typically large clay jars with open tops allowing wild airborne yeasts to enter.
The Indiana Jones of Ancient Ales
Another key pioneer is Patrick McGovern, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Museum who's been dubbed the "Indiana Jones of ancient beer" by beer enthusiasts. In the early 1990s, McGovern analyzed a golden residue found in buried copper drinking vessels in a 2,700-year-old Turkish tomb believed to belong to the legendary King Midas.
The libation turned out to be an ale brewed with barley, honey, and grapes, along with flavorings like saffron. Inspired, McGovern teamed up with American brewer Dogfish Head in 1999 to create the popular Midas Touch ale. He's continued to collaborate with Dogfish on a variety of ancient-style beers, most recently the 2022 Tree Thieves. This Celtic-style revival beer is a "gruit," using botanicals for flavoring, reflecting ancient brewing practices before hops became widely used. "It has a pleasant bitterness that comes from wormwood and mugwort," McGovern explains.
Lessons from the Past
Charles believes early brewers offer valuable lessons. "I think there's definitely something to working with earthenware and ancient grains," she says. Meanwhile, Rupp is planning his next ancient brew venture. "I'm looking into brewing with brackish water, which may have been used for beer production in Roman-occupied Britain."
Humans' love affair with beer may date back even further than we thought: in 2018, fermented grains were found on a 13,000-year-old stone tool in a cave in northern Israel—the oldest evidence of beer brewing to date.