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In July 2010, a Baltic Sea shipwreck dated between 1800 to 1830 yielded many bottles of what is thought to be the world's oldest champagne. Five of the bottles later proved to be the oldest drinkable beer yet found.

HELSINKI - Finnish scientists are analyzing a golden, cloudy beverage found in a 19th century shipwreck at the bottom of the Baltic Sea, hoping new beers can be modeled on an ancient brew. The VTT Technical Research Center of Finland said Tuesday that through chemical analysis it aims to determine the ingredients and possibly the recipe used in brewing what it called "one of the world's oldest preserved beers." VTT scientist Arvi Vilpola said he had "the honorable task" of being the one on the research team to sample the brew. "It was a little sour and you could taste...

In the spirit of authenticity, a home-brewer attempts to recreate a founding father's beer recipe. It was last Thanksgiving. I had my heirloom turkey, local yams and organic cranberries. I had donned my waxed-canvas apron and consulted vintage recipe books. I was ready to eat. But on this, the most heritage-chic of holidays, what should one drink? Wine felt too stuffy; a six-pack not ceremonial enough. I was stumped. Then I discovered George Washington's beer. Or, more precisely, a recipe for it, referenced in a few old home-brewing books. Scribbled on the last page of one of Washington's journals is...

ARCHAEOLOGY is an inexact science, as Sir Arthur Evans, a flamboyant early practitioner, knew. However painstaking the digging process, an excavator can always promote an extravagant theory under the guise of interpreting the finds. As he started to unearth a prehistoric mound at Knossos in Crete at the turn of the 20th century, Evans put his imagination into high gear. He rebuilt parts of a 3,500-year-old palace in modernist style using cement and reconstructed fragmentary frescoes to suit his views on Bronze Age religion and politics.

The trunks and hive are now at the Museum of Beekeeping Culture Credit: Museum of Beekeeping Culture Facebook Whilst Sweden is anxious to uncover fake honey and have it removed from shelves, Polish scientists have discovered a 1,300 year old beehive. Medieval Polish beehive is one of the oldest to be discovered anywhere in the world It was found inside the trunk of a tree and is believed to be one of the world’s oldest preserved beehives. As sawmill operators were getting ready to turn the trunk of an ancient oak tree into boards, they noticed something unusual imbedded within...

A University of South Florida professor found the first-ever physical evidence of hallucinogens in an Egyptian mug, validating written records and centuries-old myths of ancient Egyptian rituals and practices. Through advanced chemical analyses, Davide Tanasi examined one of the world's few remaining Egyptian Bes mugs.Such mugs, including the one donated to the Tampa Museum of Art in 1984, are decorated with the head of Bes, an ancient Egyptian god or guardian demon worshiped for protection, fertility, medicinal healing and magical purification. Published in Scientific Reports, the study sheds light on an ancient Egyptian mystery: The secret of how Bes mugs...

Ok list members, I am going to start a last Friday in the month discussion thread each month. I will start with a question that will hopefully kick of some interesting discussions.

Hello folks. Taxcontrol here and I am taking over the Brewer/Vintner ping list from Red_Devil 232. The list is for all that work with yeast to produce alcohol. So Beer, Wine, Mead, Spirits, even fuel producers are all welcome. So some questions: - I am going to assume that you want to be on the list unless you tell me otherwise - How often is an approprite regularly scheduled ping to the list (any time a relevant article is posted, weekly, bi weekly, monthly)? - How often should we cover recipes and when? Friday perhaps? - any other thoughts or...

The First Lady’s office confirms that the White House chefs made one batch of beer using about a pound of honey from the First Lady’s honey hive, on the South Lawn of the White House. The chefs used the traditional methods to brew the beer, and the First Lady’s office confirms that the Obamas paid for the equipment. The batch was made so that the nearly 200 Super Bowl guests – from members of Congress to celebrities like J-Lo -- could sample the new beer.

As I mentioned in a previous entry, I went experimental on this batch of mead. I was concerned that fermentation was stuck and I honestly was afraid I might have to start over. My curiosity finally got the best of me last evening so I decided to sample and bottle it, if it was any good. Here is a list of what you need to bottle your mead. Getting ready for a cold winters night. EVERYTHING MUST BE STERILIZED! Bottles (20-24 per 5 Gal) Corks A container of water big enough to hold the corks Press to place the corks...

VILNIUS, LITHUANIA: The world's oldest alcoholic drink - the recipe of which finds mention in the ancient Indian text Rig Veda 6000 years ago, is now making its way back to its country of birth - India. A Lithuanian company that holds the patent of Madhu Madya (honey alcohol) - the world famous mead made with ayurvedic traditions, has now decided to make it available in India. The Indian Baltic Chamber of Commerce will launch the mead - the oldest fermented drink in the world made from honey, water, yeast, herbs and vegetable seasoning at the annual event in India's...

A recent investigation by University College Dublin archaeologist Conor Trainor posits that ceramic beehives found at the site of Knossos may be evidence that merchants on the island of Crete sold counterfeit products to their Roman clientele, The Conversation reports. Crete specialized in the production of a particular raisin wine sometimes known as passum. Drying out grapes before fermentation and making wine from raisins produces a sweeter vintage that was popular across the ancient Mediterranean world, especially with the Romans. However, this process requires time and patience, two things that Roman consumers may not have had. Trainor believes that there...

If asked to picture an award-winning vineyard, your mind may well wander to a traditional wine-growing region such as Rioja in Spain, Napa Valley in California, Tuscany in Italy or Burgundy in France. It seems unlikely that you would begin with the sweeping plains and granite hills of Texas, but that may be about to change. The past few decades have seen an explosion in the Lone Star State’s wine production, with the number of Texan wineries soaring from around 20 in the 1980s to roughly 450 today, according to industry body Texas Wine Growers. This has been coupled with...

In a nutshell Young children have better survival rates when animal protein makes up a larger portion of their diet due to essential amino acids and easily absorbed nutrients like iron and zinc. Adults over 60 benefit more from plant-based proteins, with higher life expectancy in countries where plant proteins are more prevalent in the food supply. The research suggests dietary guidelines should consider age-specific recommendations, especially as countries transition to more sustainable food systems. ******************************************************************** SYDNEY — New research challenges the one-size-fits-all approach to diet, at least when it comes to protein sources. Scientists have discovered that eating meat...

Smiling man in sauna holding Finnish beer, towel wrapped around his waist- Beer fear brewing in Finland: strikes at top breweries spark supply warnings. Credit: Shutterstock, r.classen A bitter row over pay and working hours has left Finland’s top breweries facing industrial action this week – and the nation’s beer lovers sweating over their favourite pints. Nearly 1,000 workers across three of the country’s biggest beer producers – Hartwall, Olvi, and Sinebrychoff – have downed tools in a strike that’s set to last until March 28. And while breweries insist the taps won’t run dry, retailers are sounding the alarm...

Behind that aroma is a complex cheese packed full of flavor.Just because an ingredient or dish is polarizing doesn’t mean it’s not worth your time. As a child I didn’t like mushrooms — their somewhat slippery texture can be off-putting — but learning to love them over the years has opened up new opportunities to enjoy a meaty, umami-packed, and versatile ingredient. What would I do without buttery mushroom pastas and crispy fried fungi in my life now? Among the world of misunderstood ingredients, perhaps none is as renowned stinky cheeses. Taleggio, Limburger, Époisses, raclette, and Gruyère are all varieties...

A study published in the journal Antiquity [2022] suggested an ancient South American civilization spiked a beer-like drink with psychoactive drugs as a way of maintaining social cohesion and forging new bonds with surrounding communities. The findings offer some of the clearest archaeological evidence demonstrating how ancient civilizations used psychoactive substances for recreation and social cohesion...The Wari civilization flourished in the Peruvian Andes... Excavations revealed evidence the Wari were brewing large quantities of a beer-like drink known as chicha. The alcoholic beverage is common to a number of ancient civilizations in the region, however, spiking it with a hallucinogenic substance...

Claims that we ought to subscribe to a low-carb, high-protein 'paleo diet' are typically based on assertions our ancestors avoided complicated plant processing in favor of simpler meals consisting of meats, nuts, fruit, and raw vegetables. "...nonsense ..."

The wine in the glass urn. Credit: Juan Manuel Román The oldest wine ever discovered, originating from Andalusia, is a white wine over 2,000 years old. A 2019 excavation in Carmona revealed the oldest wine ever discovered, preserved in a man’s tomb for 2,000 years, highlighting significant aspects of Roman funerary rituals and societal gender norms. In 2019, a Roman tomb in Carmona was uncovered, revealing the remains of six individuals—Hispana, Senicio, two other men, and two women, whose names remain unknown. These inhabitants from 2,000 years ago likely never envisioned their funerary rituals gaining significance in the modern era....

A tourist in Florence, Italy has sparked outrage and criticism recently after she was filmed simulating an insulting sexual act with a Roman statue. The statue was that of Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and excess, the equivalent to the Greek god Dionysus. This incident, totally insulting to the Italians and to everyone who admires the Roman world, took place near the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge of the beautiful Italian metropolis. Florence statue incident condemned as insulting act of tourist Images of the woman who allegedly committed the insulting act on the statue in Florence have been circulating on...