Author Archives: paleololigo

Modern beers, both those from the big breweries and those from smaller craft breweries, are nothing like the original ales that people started drinking thousands of years ago.

There are several ways to attempt to recapture the flavor and character of ancient ales. The first is to find ancient recipes. One of the oldest was written some 3800 years BC, etched onto clay tablets.  A poem written around 1800 BC in tribute to the Ninkasi, the Sumarian goddess of beer, contains a fairly detailed recipe that was attempted by Anchor Brewing Company of San Francisco.

The Hymn to Ninkasi
Translation by Miguel Civil

Borne of the flowing water (…)
Tenderly cared for by the Ninhursag,
Borne of the flowing water (…)
Tenderly cared for by the Ninhursag,

Having founded your town by the sacred lake,
She finished its great walls for you,
Ninkasi, having founded your town by the sacred lake,
She finished its great walls for you

Your father is Enki, Lord Nidimmud,
Your mother is Ninti, the queen of the sacred lake,
Ninkasi, Your father is Enki, Lord Nidimmud,
Your mother is Ninti, the queen of the sacred lake.

You are the one who handles the dough,
[and] with a big shovel,
Mixing in a pit, the bappir with sweet aromatics,
Ninkasi, You are the one who handles
the dough, [and] with a big shovel,
Mixing in a pit, the bappir with [date]-honey.

You are the one who bakes the bappir
in the big oven,
Puts in order the piles of hulled grains,
Ninkasi, you are the one who bakes
the bappir in the big oven,
Puts in order the piles of hulled grains,,

You are the one who waters the malt
set on the ground,
The noble dogs keep away even the potentates,
Ninkasi, you are the one who waters the malt
set on the ground,
The noble dogs keep away even the potentates.

You are the one who soaks the malt in a jar
The waves rise, the waves fall.
Ninkasi, you are the one who soaks
the malt in a jar
The waves rise, the waves fall.

You are the one who spreads the cooked
mash on large reed mats,
Coolness overcomes.
Ninkasi, you are the one who spreads
the cooked mash on large reed mats,
Coolness overcomes.

You are the one who holds with both hands
the great sweet wort,
Brewing [it] with honey and wine
(You the sweet wort to the vessel)
Ninkasi, (…)
(You the sweet wort to the vessel)

The filtering vat, which makes
a pleasant sound,
You place appropriately on [top of]
a large collector vat.
Ninkasi, the filtering vat,
which makes a pleasant sound,
You place appropriately on [top of]
a large collector vat.

When you pour out the filtered beer
of the collector vat,
It is [like] the onrush of
Tigris and Euphrates.
Ninkasi, you are the one who pours out the
filtered beer of the collector vat,
It is [like] the onrush of
Tigris and Euphrates.

Continue reading “Some Ancient Gruit Ale and Beer Recipes”

What is beer?

Today, Beer is a drink that people enjoy in social situations. It’s a privilege, but not a necessity of life. In the United States, big brands like Budweiser and Coors dominate the market, but are now often poo-pooed in favor of the Craft Beer movement. Craft beer involves smaller breweries that create beers that are more flavorful than Bud or Coors, and often much higher in alcoholic content.

In the past, beer was more utilitarian than it is today. It’s unlikely that modern people would really recognize a beer from the Renaissance as a beer. Go back further to medieval times and beer as we know it barely existed, but fermented drinks like beer did.Continue reading “Brewing Beer: History and Basics”