Patrick McGovern, author of Uncorking the Past, accompanied the owners of Dogfish Head Brewery on their quest to create an ancient Egyptian beer on the Discovery Channel show “Brew Masters” last week.
McGovern, an archaeologist whose research specializes in the origins of alcoholic beverages, traveled to Egypt with the brewers to examine the earliest known depiction of beer brewing in a 4,000-year-old Egyptian tomb, help them gather ingredients in Cairo’s famous spice market, and collect a native Egyptian strain of yeast.
The result? Ta Henket, a limited release beer that incorporates the ancient ingredients and techniques described in Egyptian hieroglyphics, brewed with loaves of hearth baked bread and flavored with dom-palm fruit, chamomile, and zatar.
Watch clips of the episode online.
