Ancient beer recipes

[BeginnerBill]

Has anybody tried to make an ancient style beer? Any recipes worth trying?

 

[inhousebrew]

This isn't super ancient but it is the best I can do. I know there are other brewer's that have gone this route too.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/connect/2012/04/notes-on-a-brewday-weyermann-g/

It's nothing but 100% oak smoked wheat malt and a tad of hops. I guess they used to make it in Prussia. I know Northern Brewer has the malt otherwise you can oak smoke your own wheat malt. I only made a half batch just because I was curious and it turned out awesomely drinkably this last summer! I upped the ABV a tad to 4% but could still throw them back. Not everyone liked it, my girlfriend said it tasted like beef jerky, but I thought it was an awesomely weird session beer.

 

[Revvy]

Yes, quite a few people have experimented with ancient recipes on here, including the Bappir Bread beer mentioned in the ancient Hymn to Ninkasi the first beer recipe ever mentioned, and the clone of the Dogfish Head Midas Touch brew, from Gilgamesh's tomb....People have also done a beer similar to ******* Brew with Tej, the Ethiopian honey wine, ancient scottish and norse beers. Medieval beers......Many of us have even done historical American beers such as George Washington's Beer, Ben Franklin's Poor Richard's Ale. I've researched and done some work in ressurrecting the lost Kentucky Common ale. I helped a student on here with some ancient African beers. We have had people making the ancient south american beers such as Chicha and Pulgue...

There's a Ton of thread on this forum covering just about anything....Are you looking for something in particular? "Ancient beer recipes" is a pretty broad topic. If you're lookign for something specific I can help you find it. I probably have a link or info....

My Beer history sites thread and links to hundreds of old recipes and discussions, from ancient times to post prohibition.

 

[BeginnerBill]

The Kentucky beer sounds interesting... Being a Kentucky resident myself. Thanks for the links.

 

[BeginnerBill]

This isn't super ancient but it is the best I can do. I know there are other brewer's that have gone this route too.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/connect/2012/04/notes-on-a-brewday-weyermann-g/

It's nothing but 100% oak smoked wheat malt and a tad of hops. I guess they used to make it in Prussia. I know Northern Brewer has the malt otherwise you can oak smoke your own wheat malt. I only made a half batch just because I was curious and it turned out awesomely drinkably this last summer! I upped the ABV a tad to 4% but could still throw them back. Not everyone liked it, my girlfriend said it tasted like beef jerky, but I thought it was an awesomely weird session beer.

This looks tasty too. Thanks

 

[DromJohn]

I just opened my first Chateau Jiahu on August 18th. It's close to the orginal.
The recipe is in both "Extreme Brewing" by Calagione, and in BYO.

 

[unionrdr]

I did an all extract version of the 1890's #3 Burton ale that's def in the strong ale category. Nordeastbrewer77 did an AG version of it. My recipe is in the recipe forum. It's a rusty dark amber brew at 6.8% that turns out pretty good. I came up with a version of Midas' brew I have yet to make. But I'm pretty sure there's a recipe in the recipe forum for that too. I'm having trouble finding some dried sweet corn to brew Tizwin(pronounced Tizween),a corn beer from my native ancestors that was said to resemble English ale. It's a bit harsh though,just for getting buzzed. Referrences can be found in old writings on wikipedia.
There are a few different versions from northwern south america to central America for it. Even one from northern mexico with blue agave in it.
But revvy has a lot of links to peruse...

 

[TopherM]

If you want an authentic ancient beer recipe, try this:

1) Throw a bunch of slightly cracked grain into a watertight container
2) Put your container out in the rain
3) Let your container of rainwater and grain sit outside for about a week
4) Filter the liquid out of the grain
5) Drink, or at least try to...

This is basically how beer was brewed for most of recorded history!

 

[inhousebrew]

If you want an authentic ancient beer recipe, try this:

1) Throw a bunch of slightly cracked grain into a watertight container
2) Put your container out in the rain
3) Let your container of rainwater and grain sit outside for about a week
4) Filter the liquid out of the grain
5) Drink, or at least try to...

This is basically how beer was brewed for most of recorded history!

Lol, really old beer must have sucked! Can you imagine how hungry those first hunter gatherers must have been in order to drink what had been their grain storage after returning from an unsuccessful hung only to find it had gotten rained on and started bubbling mysteriously. Drinking on an empty stomach. At least this is the way I envision it happening.