From India PR Wire:
Billy Quinn and Declan Moore, two archaeologists with Moore Archaeological & Environmental Services (Moore Group) in Galway, believe that an extensive brewing tradition existed in Ireland as far back as 2500 BC. In an article to be published in Archaeology Ireland next month, they detail their experiments and research into the enigmatic site that is the fulacht fiadh. These monuments (of which there are approx. 4500), which present in the landscape as small, horseshoe shaped grass covered mounds, have been conventionally thought of by archaeologists as ancient cooking spots. However, Quinn and Moore believe that they may have also been used as breweries.
According to Quinn “the tradition of brewing in Ireland has a long history, we think that the fulacht may have been used as a kitchen sink, for cooking, dying, many uses, but that a primary use was the brewing of ale.†The two set out to investigate their theory in a journey which took them across Europe in search of further evidence.
To prove their theory, Quinn & Moore set out to recreate the process. They used an old wooden trough filled with water and added heated stones. After achieving an optimum temperature of 60-70°C they began to add milled barley and after approx 45 minutes simply baled the final product into fermentation vessels. They added natural wild flavourings (taking care to avoid anything toxic or hallucinogenic) and then added yeast after cooling the vessels in a bath of cold water for several hours.
According to Moore “including the leftover liquid we could easily have produced up to 300 litres of this most basic aleâ€Â. Through their experiments, they discovered that the process of brewing ale in a fulacht using hot rock technology is a simple process. To produce the ale took only a few hours, followed by a three-day wait to allow for fermentation.
Quinn and Moore point out that although their theory is based solely on circumstantial and experimental evidence, they believe that, although probably multifunctional in nature, a primary use of the fulacht fiadh was for brewing beer.
To put this in historical perspective, while the ancient Micks were getting pissed on homemade ales, in Egypt, the Fourth Dynasty was ending and the Fifth Dynasty was soon to begin — which would bring with it the construction of the Pyramids.
This was around the time, too, of the mythical Chinese Emperor Huang-Ti, as well as a time when scribal schools were popping up throughout Sumer.
And through it all, the Irish just laid back brewing hillside ales, eating potatoes, and partiying with lapsed Druids.
Hell, even their dolmens look like tombs thrown up by a clan coming off a bender.
Brilliant.
****
(h/t PsychoPhil)
No potatoes, dude. They’re Peruvian.
These are the kinds of studies the government needs to be funding.
Here’s my wisdom for your use, as I learned it when the moose
bit my sister once where Paris texts to-night: —
There are nine and sixty ways of constructing tribal lays,
And — every — single — one — of — them — is —
TIGHT!
excerpted “Past the Point of Cairn ”
By a ginger fellow
lapsed Duids
That’s a shame…there’s no need to drop the faith.
Reformed Neo-Druids permit both drinking and brawling.
The ancient Egyptians were known to brew beer long before they built the pyramids. The code of Hammurabi even contains a prohibition against the dilution of beer.
Of course, unlike those two cultures the Irish had the benefit of being able to serve theirs cold, and at that point who needs monolithic structures that last for millenia?
Fascinating. It fact it has inspired me to go out tonight and try to recreate an ancient Irish drunk.
Did the ancient Irish do hot wings, you think? I am going to assume they did.
To put this in historical perspective, while the ancient Micks were getting pissed on homemade ales, in Egypt, the Fourth Dynasty was ending and the Fifth Dynasty was soon to begin  which would bring with it the construction of the Pyramids.
This was around the time, too, of the mythical Chinese Emperor Huang-Ti, as well as a time when scribal schools were popping up throughout Sumer.
And through it all, the Irish just laid back brewing hillside ales, eating potatoes, and partiying with lapsed Druids.
Hell, even their dolmens look like tombs thrown up by a clan coming off a bender.
Brilliant.
Yeah. But the Micks were brewing BEER! That’s yer civilization right there.
It’s well known in Global Warmingist circles that the ancient Gaels were clearly experimenting with early industrial ethanol production for their prototype Hybrid cars.. that they invented.. thousands of years ago.. Sure, those pyramids LOOK cool but which invention is going to save our ass from extinction? The official Irish color is GREEN. Coincidence ?
tw: reaped restored… Aye, Lass. That they did.
Nine and Sixty Ways to Build Your Dolmen
Fill up a new vat, Pat
Ferment some new jugs, scruggs,
Head down to the Pub, Bub,
And have one on me.
The question is, I guess, were the ancient Irish actually able to wait the three days to allow for the fermentation to complete.
Maybe one or two jars made it. Based on my theory of making food.
“To put this in historical perspective, while the ancient Micks were getting pissed on homemade ales, in Egypt, the Fourth Dynasty was ending and the Fifth Dynasty was soon to begin  which would bring with it the construction of the Pyramids.
This was around the time, too, of the mythical Chinese Emperor Huang-Ti, as well as a time when scribal schools were popping up throughout Sumer.”
And your point is?
To put this in historical perspective, while the ancient Micks were getting pissed on homemade ales, in Egypt, the Fourth Dynasty was ending and the Fifth Dynasty was soon to begin  which would bring with it the construction of the Pyramids.
This was around the time, too, of the mythical Chinese Emperor Huang-Ti, as well as a time when scribal schools were popping up throughout Sumer.
And through it all, the Irish just laid back brewing hillside ales, eating potatoes, and partiying with lapsed Druids.
It fact it has inspired me to go out tonight and try to recreate an ancient Irish drunk.
Edward M. Kennedy?
Three days of fermentation?! That stuff would have tasted like a cross between Old Milwaukee and a nasty infection. Of course, probably half the nutrition in it came from the active yeast, so that may have been the point.
*shudder*
Well, Rob, it ain’t like they were washing down gourmet meals with it.
My guess? It tasted better than cooked kale and tuber salad, with a side of charred rabbit.
Or, at least complemented it rather nicely.
Brings to mind the classic Irish seven course meal: a six pack and a boiled spud. Enjoy!
What would you rather do?
Spend all day in the hot sun building a big pile of rocks, or rolling around with some red haired vixen on a bed of thick moss drunk off your ass on guiness?
This really oughta be a no brainer.
“No potatoes, dude. They’re Peruvian.”
Yep, potatoes were introduced into Ireland from the New World. Then the stupid Micks decided to eat nothing but potatoes, and when the potato crops failed, they had a famine. It’s my understanding they had to have the Scots bail them out with extra haggis.
“No potatoes, dude. They’re Peruvian.”
Yep, potatoes were imported from the New World. Then the Micks liked them so much that’s all they ate. Then the potato crop failed and lots of them died, so they had to have the Scotsmen bring them thier surplus haggis.
What — they couldn’t go to Taco Bell once a week? Jeez?
Rob. You’ve got to remember, beer is just watery bread. The only thing worse than bad beer, is no beer.
tw; last Quaker. Yeah ’cause they didn’t know crap about brewing beer.
Andrea Seabrook is a Quaker. She covers the war from Capitol Hill for NPR.
I’m pretty sure this thread contains several hate crimes. A bunch of you will be hearing from my lawyers.
This really oughta be a no brainer.
HEY!
There’s good reason to believe that beer and wine are the seeds of civilization (assuming that you consider a sedentary lifestyle “civilization”). Hunters and gatherers couldn’t brew and ferment much, it takes too much time in one place and a lot of excess grains, grapes, berries, or whatever.
So first you settle down to grow grains and grapes to brew beer and ferment wine. Then all your friends drop in. Next thing you know you’ve got city states. Bureaucrats. Politicians. And Taxes. Blame it all on booze.
I understand that a bit of alcohol mixed in with crappy (sometimes literally) water helps to keep it from killing you. Heck, I’ve seen it claimed that the primary job of Egyptian women in the household was making beer. It was pretty much the only way the family could hydrate without poisoning themselves. Heck, that might explain why Egyptian men wove cloth: the women were too busy.
But yeah, the role of alcohol in human civilization is pretty fascinating stuff.