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Here's what it tastes like.We’ve all heard the expression “aging like a fine wine,” which implies that, like the best bottles, certain things get better with time. But what would happen if, say, that aging took place at the bottom of the ocean in a remote location just shy of the Arctic Circle? That’s the question that Norwegian boating company Hurtigruten wanted to test when it partnered with British Rathfinny Wine Estate to lower bottles of its 2018 Classic Cuveé to the ocean floor in hopes of bringing back a higher-quality, more mature product and, if not, to at least...

The anise-flavored drink Ouzo is deeply connected with the nation of Greece. It is simply the spirit of Greek summer which no one can copy. It’s probably the most social drink ever distilled. Those who share this particular flavor, come closer and speak more easily. Ouzo is the drink of companionship and confession. Ouzo drinking is an art. Or maybe it’s a way of life, says Matt Barrett, an American who writes about Greece. However, it’s not the ouzo but rather who you drink it with that really makes the experience, he adds. A unique Mediterranean experience When Greeks say...

When researchers set out to study the canvas preparation practices of the Danish masters, they were searching for traces of proteins that indicated the use of animal-based glue—and in eight of the ten paintings they studied, that's what they found...Seven of the paintings also contained the byproducts of brewing beer, according to a recent study published in the journal Science Advances. Researchers examined works made by Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg (sometimes called the "father of Danish painting") and Christen Schiellerup Kobke during the Danish Golden Age, a time of cultural revitalization in the early 19th century when painters were known for...

Homebrewers will soon be able to time travel with their taste buds and brew beer similar to what the Philistines in Goliath’s hometown of Gath drank. An interdisciplinary team of researchers, archaeologists and brewmasters in Israel first isolated 5,000-year-old yeast in 2019, as published in the peer-reviewed mBio journal in 2019. But now, the fruits of that discovery are about to become available for hobby brewers and sourdough aficionados everywhere, when the first batch of commercially available ancient yeast ships in December. Pre-orders are open now. “We want to create an opportunity for every person to connect with this story,...

But maybe don't drink it.In the mid-1930s, British beermaker Greene King brewed and bottled a special ale to commemorate the coronation of King Edward VIII. The only problem? That king was never crowned. In 1936, Edward surrendered his chance to wear the crown, abdicating the throne only 325 days into his unofficial reign so that he could marry American socialite Wallis Simpson. His coronation — which had been scheduled for May 1937 — was called off, his younger brother George VI became king, and all 2,000 bottles of that Coronation Ale were put into storage. Remarkably, that beer stash wasn’t...

Bones, ancient grooming tools, even gold – these are all things you might expect to find if you go poking around an Iron Age burial site. What you might not expect to find is your new favorite tipple. But, back in 2016, archaeologists were stunned to uncover a 2,500-year-old cauldron that contained the remnants of an ancient alcoholic beverage.Project lead Bettina Arnold, from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, was investigating a burial mound – called a tumulus – dating back to between 400 and 450 BCE, when she and her team came across what appeared to be a bronze cauldron. But...

(NEXSTAR) – You can get it by the glass, the can, the growler or the keg. But for some reason, you can’t guzzle it from a plastic two-liter. Beer — at least in the United States — is rarely sold in plastic bottles. The most common mediums are glass bottles and aluminum cans, with the exception of the occasional “drinkable ornament” around the holidays. (We’re looking at you, Miller Lite.) Plastic bottles, meanwhile, are rarely ever seen in the beer aisle, despite being widely embraced by the juice and soft-drink industries. Why is that? Well, as it turns out, beer...

Researchers have discovered a 5,000-year-old tavern hidden 19 inches underground in southern Iraq, according to a Jan. 23 press release from the University of Pennsylvania (Penn). Archaeologists from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Pisa conducted the excavation beginning in 2019, Smithsonian Magazine reported. The team used advanced technology, including drone imagery and magnetometry, to identify the site’s layout. The site, located in the ancient city of Lagash, offers clues about the lives of everyday people who lived in southern Mesopotamia around 2700 B.C.E. Inside the open-air eating space, archaeologists found benches, an oven, a clay refrigerator called...

How did people live and die during the harshest months of the year? How did they stay warm? What did they eat? How did they keep themselves entertained in an age before modern day luxuries like electric blankets, double glazing, and Netflix? The onset of the Little Ice Age, between 1300 until about 1870 meant that the long, dark winters of the Late Middle Ages were colder and more dangerous. With starvation and death from illness always threatening to strike, winter was a frightening time. Welcome to Medieval Madness.Surviving Winter in the Middle Ages... | MedievalMadness | 178K subscribers |...

Stone age man invented beer before making bread, says expert Archaeologists have found that man first discovered alcohol in 9000 BC, more than 5,000 years earlier than previously thought. According to The Sun they reckon pottery was invented because man needed a mug to hold his beer. Until now researchers have assumed the first human settlements, which appeared in the Middle East, were built around farming and growing corn for food. But archaeologist Merryn Dinely, of Manchester University, told the paper that corn was turned into malt, the main ingredient for making beer. Dr Dinely found that almost all ancient...

NATIONAL AMERICAN BEER DAY National American Beer Day raises a glass to the rich American beermaking history and those who savor the continued traditions. Pour your favorite pint with millions who enjoy the storied brews across the nation. #AmericanBeerDay U.S. Brewing History Brewing beer in America begins long before Europeans arrived since Native Americans brewed beer from a variety of ingredients. They used corn, birch sap, and water to ferment their beverage. Then when the first colonists arrived in Virginia, they began combining their brewing traditions with the supplies at hand – that included corn, too. Since then, brewing and...

The historic pub is great for a pint, and a story or two. No trip to Britain is complete without a pint or meal at a pub. Luckily, if you're purely going for the cultural experience and aren't fussed about quality, it's not a difficult thing to tick off the travel itinerary. Pubs are a dime a dozen in the U.K, regardless of whether you're in a major city, or a quaint village. But not all pubs are created equal, and some are worth making a special journey for. Edinburgh's oldest licensed public house dating back to 1360, the Sheep...

Today's tall cylindrical fermentation tanks that have replaced the shorter vats of breweries in the past have tended to negatively impact the taste of the resulting beer – but now scientists have stepped in to improve the taste of our booze. These tall tanks can produce more beer for less money – they're easier to fill, empty and clean – but their widespread adoption also means excess pressure from the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation, and that affects flavor. The researchers began by identifying strains of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast that were particularly CO2-resistant, focusing on the production of isoamyl...

Beer has stood the test of time as one of the world's favorite social lubricants.However, much of the history of the drink, and the corresponding histories of the cultures it has been associated with, are often ignored.To resolve that gap, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor and a Wauwatosa home brewer have spent the last three years combining forces to restore old recipes and spark interest in the underlying history of Milwaukee’s favorite drink.A Wauwatosa home brewer and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee professor are working to revive ancient beer recipes as a way to encourage people to embrace the history of the...

What does champagne left on the bottom of the ocean for 170 years taste like? Leather and wet dog, apparently.Those were the initial findings by a team of scientists and lucky tasters after analyzing a sample from one of the 168 bottles of champagne recovered from a shipwrecked vessel on the Baltic seafloor. Divers had found the sunken trade ship off the Aland Islands of Finland in 2010, and the treasure trove has chemists and connoisseurs curious.After allowing what is thought to be the oldest champagne ever tasted to breathe, however, the researchers were surprised to find an entirely different...

It was last used when whisky was measured in hogsheads and production of the water of life was moving from an often-illicit farmyard enterprise to a thriving national business.Now the secrets of whisky production from 200 years ago are being uncovered by archaeologists probing the remains of a distillery which ceased production in 1824.Fire pits which would once have heated copper stills, tasting glasses, bottles and the timber-lined vats which held gallons of the amber nectar have all been unearthed at the National Trust dig on the old site of the Glenlivet distillery.During the past two weeks the archaeology team...

They suggest that global alcohol consumption recommendations should be based on age and location, with the strictest guidelines for men aged 15-39, who are at the greatest risk of harmful alcohol consumption worldwide. “Our message is simple: young people should not drink, but older people may benefit from drinking small amounts,” said the senior author, Dr Emmanuela Gakidou, professor of health metrics sciences at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine. “While it may not be realistic to think young adults will abstain from drinking, we do think it’s important to communicate the latest evidence so that everyone can make...

Locally sourced grapes and imported tar pitches may have been the norms for winemakers along the coast of Italy during the Roman period, according to jars recovered from the ocean near the harbor of San Felice Circeo. Three different wine jars, or amphorae, were recovered and analyzed, giving researchers a useful insight into the practices for producing wine in this particular region in 1–2 century BCE, part of the late Greco-Italic period. What makes the research particularly notable is that it combines some of the latest chemical analysis techniques with other approaches used in archaeobotany to discover more about these...

A hoard of contraband alcohol recovered from a shipwreck 100 years after it sank on its way to tsarist Russia is going on sale for nearly £8,000 a bottle. Hundreds of bottles were salvaged by a specialist Swedish team in the Sea of Aland, near the Baltic Sea, in 2019. The crew found 600 bottles of De Haartman & Co cognac and 300 bottles of Benedictine liqueur within the remains of the Kyros, which was sunk by a German submarine in May 1917. It is believed the shipment left Bordeaux in December 1916, but was delayed until the spring due...

The first form of artificial refrigeration was invented by William Cullen, a Scottish scientist. Cullen showed how the rapid heating of liquid to a gas can result in cooling. This is the principle behind refrigeration that still remains today. Cullen never turned his theory into practice, but many were inspired to try to realize his idea.