Scientists Recreate Taste of Ancient Egyptian Beer, Claim That It’s Pretty Decent

Studying yeast that had grown on pieces of pottery that once held beer and mead in Ancient Egypt, scientists claim to have reproduced the beer drank by our Pharaonic forefathers, reports Bloomberg. 

Microbiologist at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ronen Hazan, tells Bloomberg, “this ancient yeast allowed us to create beer that lets us know what Ancient Philistine and Egyptian beer tasted like. By the way, the beer isn’t bad. The greatest wonder here is that the yeast colonies survived within the vessel for thousands of years, just waiting to be excavated and grown.

The first documentation of the beer-making process is said to have been found on Ancient Egyptian scrolls dating as far back as 5,000 years. According to the Israel Antiquities Authority, and two Israeli Universities, the recreated beer was approved and labeled safe for consumption by experts from the International Beer Judge Certification Programme. The research gone into reproducing the ancient beer is also considered a significant contribution to the field of experimental archaeology in its aim to rebuild the past.