Post by lowell on Jul 18, 2021 2:37:31 GMT -6
"They loved their beer. ... Like many beers enjoyed across the world today, theirs was built on a base of malted barley. And it could include date syrup, emmer wheat, and various roasted, toasted, or baked grain products. But Mesopotamian beer was not flavored with hops, and it was probably on the thick, porridgey side."
' The University of Chicago’s Oriental Institute and Great Lakes Brewing Company formed a collaborative effort to recreate it. Many intrepid tasters have sampled their Gilgamash and Enkibru, two experimental brews named after the famous adventuring duo, Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Assessments have generally been positive. The Enkibru (the more authentic of the two) is flat, lukewarm, sour, milky-looking and sometimes a bit cloying. But it’s also intriguing and, in this version, yes, intoxicating.
Peering down into the murky liquid, bits of grain husk floating on the surface, taking a good long sip through a reed straw and feeling that alcoholic punch hit you – it feels a little like stepping into a time machine. Our experimental recreation is far from perfect, but it provides a unique kind of sensory connection with the past.
Mesopotamian people across the social spectrum enjoyed beer: rich and poor, male and female, young and old. Kings, queens, soldiers, farmers, messengers, carpenters, priests, prostitutes, musicians, children – everybody drank beer. They drank it at home, on the job, at feasts and festivals, in the temple and at the neighborhood tavern.
Typically they drank it using straws from a common jug or keg.
Peering down into the murky liquid, bits of grain husk floating on the surface, taking a good long sip through a reed straw and feeling that alcoholic punch hit you – it feels a little like stepping into a time machine. Our experimental recreation is far from perfect, but it provides a unique kind of sensory connection with the past.
Mesopotamian people across the social spectrum enjoyed beer: rich and poor, male and female, young and old. Kings, queens, soldiers, farmers, messengers, carpenters, priests, prostitutes, musicians, children – everybody drank beer. They drank it at home, on the job, at feasts and festivals, in the temple and at the neighborhood tavern.
Typically they drank it using straws from a common jug or keg.
It was somewhat flat, lukewarm, sour, milky-looking and sometimes a bit cloying. But it’s also intriguing and, in this version, yes, intoxicating.
"It was also recognized as a potent force whose consumption could prove risky. In Mesopotamian literature, drinking beer could lead to confusion, loss of control and poor judgment.
Beer was also known to produce unwanted physical effects, like a certain less-than-stellar feeling the morning after or an inability to perform sexually. Still, Mesopotamians continued to drink their beer with enjoyment and gusto. '
Beer was also known to produce unwanted physical effects, like a certain less-than-stellar feeling the morning after or an inability to perform sexually. Still, Mesopotamians continued to drink their beer with enjoyment and gusto. '