Prehistoric Breweries in Ireland
2
1/24/2016 Druckversion - Prehistoric Breweries in Ireland? Beer From the Bronze Age - SPIEGEL ONLINE - International http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/prehistoric-breweries-in-ireland-beer-from-the-bronze-age-a-524436-druck.html 1/2 12/31/2007 04:14 PM Prehistoric Breweries in Ireland? Beer From the Bronze Age By Angelika Franz Two Irish archaeologists have tried to brew beer like their ancestors used to make 3,000 years ago in an effort to uncover the purpose of common, ancient stone mounds. It was a rough morning. Hung over after a night out in Galway, archaeologist Billy Quinn was nursing a headache over a hearty Irish breakfast, pondering the mysteries of his excavation site and thinking with a measure of self interest about mankind's ageold quest for mindaltering substances. Then it hit him: His excavation site was a brewery. The perfectly ordinary site was a flat, grasscovered earth mound known in Gaelic as a fulacht fiadh (full oct fiah). These sites typically have a depression surrounded by a horseshoe crescent of charred stones. Archaeologists have turned up 4,500 so far across Ireland, and more are identified every year. Radiocarbon dating suggests most fulach fiadh were built between 1,500 and 500 BC. The mounds have been a longstanding riddle. Some experts argue they were for cooking meat: Hot stones would have been used to boil water to cook and preserve the meat. Others say they were prehistoric saunas. Or tanneries, or smithies, or dyeworks. The only point of agreement is that water was heated inside. Quinn and his colleague Declan Moore became convinced their site had a more thirstquenching purpose: brewing. "It's also possible that the site could have been multifunctional sort of a Bronze Age kitchen sink." But they needed proof. The research was tough, but someone had to do it: Quinn and Moore went on a pilgrimage to places connected with old traditions of brewing. They apprenticed themselves to hobby brewers in the Orkney Islands. In Belgium and Bavaria they learned to brew with hot stones. In Barcelona, they visited a conference on prehistoric brewing, and they traced the roots of beer culture in the Middle East. Early this summer, they were ready. A crowd gathered in Quinn's backyard in Cordarragh, Ireland. The archaeologists slaughtered a pig brewing works up an appetite and built a roaring bonfire to heat stones. Nearby they dug a trench and placed a 350liter wooden trough inside. After two hours, the stones (and the pig) were piping hot. The archaeologists shoveled them into the water until it was a steaming 150 degrees F. Then in went the barley. After 45 minutes of stirring and the occasional addition of another hot stone, they threw in sweet herbs. "To get a pleasant taste we just looked around the garden and picked whatever looked good," Quinn says of his notsoscientific method. Bayberry and meadowsweet were among the herbs thrown into the mix. Then the brew was poured into 75liter plastic tubs, some yeast was thrown in, and the beer researchers sat back and waited. Three days later, the pair cracked open the barrels to reveal a "very tasty, foamy, coppercolored ale," says Quinn. To test the brew, Quinn and Moore threw a party. Guests judged the experiment a success, says Quinn: "People drank it by the liter." Today, the archaeologists are proud to be called "picobrewers," the designation for brewers whose capacity falls somewhere between home brewing and a microbrewery. Unfortunately, their beginner's luck didn't hold. Each subsequent attempt resulted in a worsetasting mess. Quinn doesn't blame himself but the ingredients in his garden, which faded and lost their flavor as the summer wore on. "By the fourth try the brew was just a bland cloudy broth," says Quinn. Now they're waiting until spring, when bayberry and meadowsweet are back in bloom. In the meantime, they're back at their day jobs. 'We're excavating bones again," Quinn says. "It's pretty boring." URL:
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1/24/2016 Druckversion - Prehistoric Breweries in Ireland? Beer From the Bronze Age - SPIEGEL ONLINE - International
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/prehistoric-breweries-in-ireland-beer-from-the-bronze-age-a-524436-druck.html 1/2
12/31/2007 04:14 PM
Prehistoric Breweries in Ireland?
Beer From the Bronze AgeBy Angelika Franz
Two Irish archaeologists have tried to brew beer like their ancestors used to make 3,000years ago in an effort to uncover the purpose of common, ancient stone mounds.
It was a rough morning. Hung over after a night out in Galway, archaeologist Billy Quinn was nursing aheadache over a hearty Irish breakfast, pondering the mysteries of his excavation site and thinking witha measure of self interest about mankind's ageold quest for mindaltering substances.
Then it hit him: His excavation site was a brewery.
The perfectly ordinary site was a flat, grasscovered earth mound known in Gaelic as a fulacht fiadh (fulloct fiah). These sites typically have a depression surrounded by a horseshoe crescent of charred stones.Archaeologists have turned up 4,500 so far across Ireland, and more are identified every year.Radiocarbon dating suggests most fulach fiadh were built between 1,500 and 500 BC.
The mounds have been a longstanding riddle. Some experts argue they were for cooking meat: Hotstones would have been used to boil water to cook and preserve the meat. Others say they wereprehistoric saunas. Or tanneries, or smithies, or dyeworks. The only point of agreement is that waterwas heated inside.
Quinn and his colleague Declan Moore became convinced their site had a more thirstquenching purpose:brewing. "It's also possible that the site could have been multifunctional sort of a Bronze Age kitchensink."
But they needed proof. The research was tough, but someone had to do it: Quinn and Moore went on apilgrimage to places connected with old traditions of brewing. They apprenticed themselves to hobbybrewers in the Orkney Islands. In Belgium and Bavaria they learned to brew with hot stones. InBarcelona, they visited a conference on prehistoric brewing, and they traced the roots of beer culture inthe Middle East.
Early this summer, they were ready. A crowd gathered in Quinn's backyard in Cordarragh, Ireland. Thearchaeologists slaughtered a pig brewing works up an appetite and built a roaring bonfire to heatstones. Nearby they dug a trench and placed a 350liter wooden trough inside. After two hours, thestones (and the pig) were piping hot. The archaeologists shoveled them into the water until it was asteaming 150 degrees F. Then in went the barley. After 45 minutes of stirring and the occasional additionof another hot stone, they threw in sweet herbs. "To get a pleasant taste we just looked around thegarden and picked whatever looked good," Quinn says of his notsoscientific method. Bayberry andmeadowsweet were among the herbs thrown into the mix. Then the brew was poured into 75liter plastictubs, some yeast was thrown in, and the beer researchers sat back and waited.
Three days later, the pair cracked open the barrels to reveal a "very tasty, foamy, coppercolored ale,"says Quinn. To test the brew, Quinn and Moore threw a party. Guests judged the experiment a success,says Quinn: "People drank it by the liter."
Today, the archaeologists are proud to be called "picobrewers," the designation for brewers whosecapacity falls somewhere between home brewing and a microbrewery. Unfortunately, their beginner'sluck didn't hold. Each subsequent attempt resulted in a worsetasting mess. Quinn doesn't blame himselfbut the ingredients in his garden, which faded and lost their flavor as the summer wore on. "By thefourth try the brew was just a bland cloudy broth," says Quinn.
Now they're waiting until spring, when bayberry and meadowsweet are back in bloom. In the meantime,they're back at their day jobs. 'We're excavating bones again," Quinn says. "It's pretty boring."
URL:
1/24/2016 Druckversion - Prehistoric Breweries in Ireland? Beer From the Bronze Age - SPIEGEL ONLINE - International
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/prehistoric-breweries-in-ireland-beer-from-the-bronze-age-a-524436-druck.html 2/2
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/prehistoricbreweriesinirelandbeerfromthebronzeagea524436.html
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