The work of Travis Rupp, professor of Greek and Roman Archeology at the University of Colorado, is a strange endeavor. Like many of his colleagues devoted to the study of how our ancestors lived, Rupp is determined to bring history to us, but he does not want us to read or see it. Nor does it attempt to recover any ancient carvings that allow us to touch it. No. Rupp brings focus to another meaning. Really. He hopes we can taste it. So for several years he has devoted his eyelashes (and taste buds) to copying the beers of Ancient Egypt, Classical Greece or Roman Britain.

Being drunk with history takes on a different meaning with him.

beer archaeologist. The concept may be striking, but Travis Rupp bills himself as a “beer archaeologist.” And he is not alone in his efforts. There are researchers who spend hours of research trying to figure out what ancient beverages were like, like Rupp, who believes in the value of beer history in itself and that learning how our ancestors made, drank, and preferred it will help us know them better. And not just on a theoretical level. This effort is accompanied by another equally, if not more, important effort: their replication, sometimes with the collaboration of companies with a clear commercial purpose.

Between tablets, stories and beers. Their work is not very different from that of other archaeologists and historians devoted to the study of literature, architecture or commerce. At least in the documentation phase. Researchers travel, use tablets, relics, stories, relics or shipwreck remains that are thousands of years old. Everything to get the most reliable idea possible of what old beers were like. And when they try to copy them, they use traditional methods and materials, no matter how strange it may seem.

Years ago, Rupp told NPR that he was nearly fired from the company he worked for when he tried to traditionally reproduce chicha, an ancient South American beverage similar to beer. This was because his recipe called for corn to be chewed and partially fermented in saliva, so he convinced his archaeologist colleagues to help him. As if that wasn’t enough, the mixture was so thick it was impossible to manage. “It turned into polenta, it took 12 to 14 hours to get all the corn out.”

But… Why are they doing this? “Recreating old beers allows us to touch and taste history. It humanises our ancestors and makes us realize we’re not so different after all,” Rupp tells the BBC. Marie Hopwood of Vancouver Island University goes further and argues for its unique historical value: “It was in progress for thousands of years before cities, tombs, the wheel and writing. Its elaboration may predate the origins of agriculture. The driving force behind agriculture is baking bread or brewing beer.” It continues to be debated.

According to Hopwood, “archeology would not be complete without mentioning beer and its importance in social life”, but there may be another, much more practical key. Old beers also seem to generate interest in the market. A few years ago, Rupp, for example, began working on American firm Avery Brewing’s “Ales of Antiquity,” a series of beers featuring blends inspired by ancient beer recipes such as Ancient Egyptian, medieval and Viking monastic traditions. or pre-Columbian America.

like in ancient Egypt. To show that recreating ancient beers is much more than just a curiosity, the British Museum conducted a fascinating experiment in 2018: food historian Tasha Marks and experts Micahela Charles and Susan Boyle joined forces to recreate an ancient beer that is 5,000 years old. To get a result as similar as possible to what the ancient Egyptians drank, they consulted archaeological reports, chemical analysis of the vessels, consulted an ancient Sumerian poem, the “Hymn of Ninkasi,” and even ordered some ceramic vessels for fermentation.

Their mixture was made with: emmer They added spelt, barley, pomegranates, suckers, and other ingredients available 5,000 years ago because the spices and sweet taste “represented a sign of status.” These did not include hops, which had been used since the Middle Ages. Marks recalls that when they started the experiment, they believed the final result would be a “disgusting”, “thick and tasteless” mixture, but the liquid they got was anything but. “What surprised us was that not only did it work, but it was actually delicious.”

Viking or medieval beer? One of the most interesting examples of the quest for ancient beer is probably Ales of Antiquity, a line of self-brewed beers that, as Rupp recalled in 2018, “incorporated my search for the drinking traditions and rituals of ancient civilizations.”

For example, his catalog includes “Nestor’s Cup,” inspired by a Mycenaean concoction from 1,350 BC; the “Pachamama” of ancient Peru; The Viking-inspired “Ragnarsdápa” or monastery beers “Nursia” and “Benedictus” from the 9th century AD. The innovation he was working on at the time was a drink dating back to the life and times of George Washington. His name: “George Washington Porter.”

What does a reed hide?. A few months ago the BBC devoted an extensive report to Rupp, explaining that the researcher was working on two types of research. KykeonAn ancient drink that even Homer mentioned. Iliad And Odyssey. To achieve this, Rupp assures, painstaking and “extensive archaeological research” as well as “studies of the ancient Greek language” were carried out. He also incorporates his own background in the beer world.

During his interview, Rupp announced that he was embarking on another fascinating challenge: “to brew beer with brackish water that could be used for brewing in Roman-occupied Britain.”

“The Indiana Jones of Beer”. This is the nickname of Patrick McGovern, a pioneer in the industry who is often known as “Dr. Pat” or the “Indiana Jones of old brews.” Their work goes back several decades, and in 1999, with the help of the company Dogfish Head, they already introduced Midas Touch, a recreation based on discoveries left by an ancient tomb dating back 2,700 years. In 2022, the same company launched Tree Thieves, a Gruit-style beer that it describes as “a beer based on archaeological findings in a Celtic burial tomb.”

An impossible wish? Despite all the effort, research, documentation, and indulgence in detail to the point where Rupp shows himself chewing corn for his chicha, McGovern admits that his desire to recreate ancient drinks is just that: a desire. No matter how much attention is paid to the smallest details, it is difficult to achieve perfect replicas. “Far from it, there is no 100% certainty,” he notes.

“I think we can be pretty sure of the basic ingredients. Possible microorganisms, substances, or additives that could be ruled out,” he admits to NPR, even of Machu Picchu’s concoctions. Something much newer, for example. doorman George Washington’s favorite.”

That doesn’t stop archaeologists from taking on the challenge, and in the process, opening up a delicious new (and intoxicating) perspective on how our ancestors lived centuries ago.

Pictures | Wikipedia 1 and 2

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