Dylan McDonnell, a Utah resident with a master's degree in Middle Eastern studies, successfully recreated an ancient Egyptian beer recipe using a 3,500-year-old yeast strain likely used by the Philistines, provided by a German company.
The recipe included ingredients mentioned in the 1550 B.C.E. Ebers Papyrus medical text, such as sycamore figs, Israeli golden raisins, desert dates, Yemeni Sidr honey, and frankincense.
The process took over three years, with McDonnell researching and sourcing rare ingredients, including help from an architectural historian, and using a three-vessel brewing system in his backyard.
The resulting 5% ABV beer, nicknamed "Sinai Sour," has a slightly salty taste with notes of apricot and a floral aftertaste, similar to a tart German gose style.
While McDonnell cannot sell the beer due to Utah laws, he offers private tastings to showcase this unique recreation of an ancient Egyptian brew, shedding light on the long history of beer in ancient civilizations.
McDonnell got the idea during the pandemic after hearing about someone using 4,500-year-old Egyptian yeast for sourdough and aimed to recreate a beer similar to what Rameses the Great might have drunk.
He is already considering a new project involving a beer with 25 percent alcohol by volume.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq
Sources: Smithsonian Magazine, The New York Times, VinePair, All That's Interesting, India Times, NME, Exclaim!