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Reviving the taste of an Iron Age beer [ancient Celtic malt beverage]
Science News ^ | Friday, January 14th, 2011 | Bruce Bower

Posted on 01/18/2011 6:27:27 PM PST by SunkenCiv

At the Celtic site, barley was soaked in the specially constructed ditches until it sprouted, Stika proposes. Grains were then dried by lighting fires at the ends of the ditches, giving the malt a smoky taste and a darkened color. Lactic acid bacteria stimulated by slow drying of soaked grains, a well-known phenomenon, added sourness to the brew.

Unlike modern beers that are flavored with flowers of the hop plant, the Eberdingen-Hochdorf brew probably contained spices such as mugwort, carrot seeds or henbane, in Stika's opinion. Beer makers are known to have used these additives by medieval times. Excavations at the Celtic site have yielded a few seeds of henbane, a plant that also makes beer more intoxicating.

"These additives gave Celtic beer a completely different taste than what we're used to today," Stika says.

(Excerpt) Read more at sciencenews.org ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: beer; celts; godsgravesglyphs
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GNARLY BARLEY Charred barley grains from an Iron Age Celtic settlement, such as these, inspired experiments to determine that they had been malted as part of a brewing operation that produced beer with a smoky and somewhat sour taste.H.-P. Stika

Reviving the taste of an Iron Age beer: Barley grains offer savory insights into ancient Celtic malt beverage

celtic beer site:freerepublic.com

Google

1 posted on 01/18/2011 6:27:29 PM PST by SunkenCiv
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To: SunkenCiv

Better Iron Age than Iron City.


2 posted on 01/18/2011 6:30:05 PM PST by buccaneer81 (ECOMCON)
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1010RD; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...

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3 posted on 01/18/2011 6:32:38 PM PST by SunkenCiv (The 2nd Amendment follows right behind the 1st because some people are hard of hearing.)
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To: buccaneer81

We live in the Permanent Press Age.


4 posted on 01/18/2011 6:35:45 PM PST by SunkenCiv (The 2nd Amendment follows right behind the 1st because some people are hard of hearing.)
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To: SunkenCiv

beer is food


5 posted on 01/18/2011 7:00:15 PM PST by barbarianbabs
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To: SunkenCiv
FTA; "Beer buffs today would regard Celtic beer as a strange brew not only for its flavor but because it would have been cloudy, contained yeasty sediment and been imbibed at room temperature, Nelson notes."

Has Nelson visited a British public house recently? Sounds exactly like the "bitters" from any number of small brewers (Hook Norton, for ex). It's commonly served from a wood barrel, always at room temperature (plenty cold enough!), and is usually cloudy toward the bottom of the keg. And discretion is always needed. Two pints of Old Hooky will totally screw up your coordination!

6 posted on 01/18/2011 7:01:56 PM PST by Don Carlos (Don't tell mom I'm running for congress. She thinks I still play piano in a whorehouse.)
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To: SunkenCiv

In a word “Beer”

Bookmark for later, Beer now

TT


7 posted on 01/18/2011 7:13:11 PM PST by TexasTransplant (I don't mind liberals... I hate liars...there just tends to be a high degree of overlap)
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To: SunkenCiv

where can I get some?


8 posted on 01/18/2011 7:27:40 PM PST by duffus (Deport all Aliens, Secure the Border, Recall the Troops, Shrink the Government.)
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To: buccaneer81
Better Iron Age than Iron City.

Annd... "When you're down to 'Ganset, you're outta beer!"

Not to mention Ox Cart, so I won't.

9 posted on 01/18/2011 7:32:49 PM PST by Grut
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To: SunkenCiv
Those Celts be very smart people...
10 posted on 01/18/2011 7:54:53 PM PST by GSP.FAN (Some days, it's not even worth chewing through the restraints.)
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To: Don Carlos
discretion is always needed. Two pints of Old Hooky will totally screw up your coordination!

I thought that was the whole point of imbibing the stuff. Oh, that and the taste. I just drink it for the taste. Right!

11 posted on 01/18/2011 8:04:42 PM PST by AndyJackson
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To: knews_hound

brew-ping!!!


12 posted on 01/18/2011 8:07:55 PM PST by djf (Touch my junk and I'll break yur mug!!!)
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To: djf; quantim; spinestein; 5Madman2; DTogo; Horatio Gates; Ribeye; decal; B Knotts; doodad; ...
Ping for the original Homebrewers.

They did it Old Style !



On or off the Homebrewers Ping List, let me know.


Cheers,

knewshound

Homebrewing 1A (Homebrewing for beginners)

Homebrewing 101 (for experienced Homebrewers)
13 posted on 01/18/2011 8:12:12 PM PST by knews_hound (Credo Quia Absurdium--take nothing seriously unless it is absurd. E. Clampus Vitus)
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To: knews_hound

14 posted on 01/18/2011 8:14:29 PM PST by pissant ((Bachmann 2012 - Freepmail to get on/off PING list))
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To: SunkenCiv

I just had a curious beer last week.
Walgreens offers “Big Flats 1901” brewed by Gennesee for 2.99 a six.

So I gave it a go. It was not disgusting, but it has NO Malt or Barley.

It was citrusy from the hops, with a body that was likely corn and rice.

That is the only 6 of that I will buy.


15 posted on 01/18/2011 8:19:09 PM PST by mylife (The Roar Of The Masses Could Be Farts)
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To: knews_hound

Just made 5 gallons last month, first time in about 3 years. Need to do it (brew it) more often!


16 posted on 01/18/2011 8:19:25 PM PST by DTogo (High time to bring back the Sons of Liberty !!)
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To: pissant

Epic Pic WIN


17 posted on 01/18/2011 8:34:41 PM PST by knews_hound (Credo Quia Absurdium--take nothing seriously unless it is absurd. E. Clampus Vitus)
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To: knews_hound

I haven’t had one since college. I wonder if they still taste awful?


18 posted on 01/18/2011 8:35:38 PM PST by pissant ((Bachmann 2012 - Freepmail to get on/off PING list))
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To: knews_hound

This should be fun. Please add me to your ping list and thank you!


19 posted on 01/18/2011 8:44:20 PM PST by JouleZ (You are the company you keep.)
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To: SunkenCiv
They CHARRED the malted barley?

Whatever were they thinking?!?

Gentle heat only for pale malt; anything over 220F or so kills the enzymes needed for GOOD brewing malt...and that is quite a bit less than the charring temp.

OH; these were reject grains, that fell into the drying fires?

smoky taste and a darkened color. Lactic acid bacteria stimulated by slow drying of soaked grains, a well-known phenomenon, added sourness to the brew.

This stuff sounds wonderful: poisoned burnt vinegar beer, with added henbane.

They should have just stuck to drinking Irn Bru...and I'll stick to Killian's Red.

20 posted on 01/18/2011 9:08:40 PM PST by ApplegateRanch (Made in America, by proud American citizens, in 1946.)
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