Israeli scientists announced today that they have managed to extract yeast from ancient containers to make beer, similar to the one the Pharaohs drank more than 3.000 years ago.
This beer has an alcohol content of 6% and a taste similar to wheat beer. It was presented to the journalists yesterday together with a mead honey, containing 14% alcohol. This is the first time that beer is produced using ancient yeast, the researchers of the Israeli Antiquities Service and the three universities that collaborated in this program assured in the press conference.
"When we brought this beer and drank it, sitting around a table, we made a toast," said Arne Meyer, an archaeologist at Bar-Ilan University. "And I said: either everything will go well, or we will all die in five minutes. "We survived and we are here to tell this story," he added.
The yeast used was found in the bottom of ancient vessels discovered at archeological sites, including the Negev Desert in southern Israel. The scientists clarified that the beer they presented today contained yeast about 3.000 years old. But they have also found 5.000-year-old yeast. To prepare the drink, the researchers used modern production methods. They hope that in the future they will be able to make beer based on ancient recipes and, possibly, to market it.
Source: KYPE