Scientists Brew Beer That Egyptians Drank 5,000 Years Ago

(Bloomberg) -- Move over, Budweiser: Israeli scientists say they have recreated the taste of ancient beers that the Philistines and Egyptians drank as much as 5,000 years ago.

The research began with shards of pottery used to produce beer and mead in antiquity, which still had yeast specimens stuck inside. The scientists examined the yeast colonies that settled in the pottery’s nano-pores, and were ultimately able to resurrect the yeast to create beer.

"The greatest wonder here is that the yeast colonies survived within the vessel for thousands of years, just waiting to be excavated and grown,” said Ronen Hazan, a microbiologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “This ancient yeast allowed us to create beer that lets us know what ancient Philistine and Egyptian beer tasted like. By the way, the beer isn’t bad.”

Aside from the thrill of drinking beer from Pharaonic times, the research is important to the field of experimental archaeology, which seeks to reconstruct the past, Hazan said.

Tasters from the International Beer Judge Certification Program gave the beer a “thumbs up,” deeming it high-quality and safe for consumption, according to a joint statement from the Israel Antiquities Authority, Hebrew University, Bar-Ilan University and Tel Aviv University.

To contact the reporter on this story: Alisa Odenheimer in Jerusalem at aodenheimer@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Shaji Mathew at shajimathew@bloomberg.net, Michael S. Arnold, Amy Teibel

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