Beer archaeology: "The beginnings of civilization were spurred on by fermented beverages."

Photo credit: The Smithsonian.

Many of us have been exposed to ancient narratives like this, but it's vitally important to stress the intertwined history of beverage alcohol and humankind.

I always began my beer tastings with a few riffs on the fact that fermentation is a natural process. Fundamentalists like to pretend otherwise.

I always try to ignore fundamentalists.

Beer Archaeologist: How Alcohol Shaped Our Civilization, by Paul Ratner (Big Think)

Patrick McGovern, a biomolecular archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania, has one of the coolest jobs in the world. Some have called him “the Indiana Jones of Alcohol” or “the beer archaeologist”. What he does is recreate the world's oldest drinks by finding and utilizing organic material at archaeological sites. A world authority on ancient alcoholic beverages, he’s found humanity’s oldest drinks and re-made some of them, like a beer from the legendary King Midas's court and a 9000-year-old Chinese rice and honey drink from the Neolithic period.

In a recent interview with National Geographic, McGovern shared his insights on the importance of alcohol in creating our civilization ...

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Hoosier brewing: We have beer here.

"Mug Shots" today in LEO: "Man behind the Bastard."

After I submitted this piece, there were more updates to the beer list, especially additions from "No Coast" BBC (Main & Clay). Go to the Louisville Restaurants Forum and check the thread for updated material from Ashley at Flanagan's.

Mug Shots: Man behind the Bastard

If you’re a fan of Arrogant Bastard and the many other uncompromising craft beers emanating from Stone Brewing Company, then you’ll want to reserve time Saturday afternoon (Sept. 19) to sample Stone’s locally oriented promotional savvy.

That’s when the brewery’s founder, Greg Koch, is coming to Louisville to hawk his wares, state his case and meet you. He’ll be the special guest at a gala outdoor charity event called “East Coast, West Coast, No Coast,” benefiting Henry’s Ark, all of which is being conceived, staged and hosted by Flanagan’s Ale House (934 Baxter Ave.). There’s a $5 cover.

We're giving away Dogfish Head schwag tonight.

Dogfish Head Off-Kilter Sixers: On tap today.

It's an eventful day at the Public House. Josh, Andy and the gang are cooking and prepping for tonight's "Pub Snacks, Revisited" beer dinner, which is sold out. Jared has facilitated a massive tap swap, and last week's four Italian microbrews are gone for the moment. They'll return when there are openings on the draft board.

Our collection of six Dogfish Head Off-Kilter Sixers now is on tap. On Wednesday afternoon beginning at 5:30 p.m., there'll be a schwag raffle conducted by our own John Campbell.

At 7% abv, Aprihop is the odd Dogfish out and is priced at $3.50 (including tax) for a 10-oz portion.

The other five are big ales, and are priced at $7.25 (including tax) for a 10-oz pour. Follow the "Off-Kilter" link above for full descriptions.

Black and Blue 10% abv
Burton Baton 10.0% abv
Immort Ale 11% abv
Palo Santo Marron (Holy Tree Brown) 12% abv
Red & White 10% abv

Week of July 28, 2008: Dogfish Head Off-Kilter Sixers.

NABC/Rich O’s themed guest beer weeks are coming throughout July.

Week of July 28, 2008
Dogfish Head Off-Kilter Sixers

Starting a few months ago, all our good karma finally paid off thanks to a nice man named John, and selected sixth barrels of rare Dogfish Head specialties began crossing the threshold of Cellar # 3, NABC’s top-secret storage facility. All except one have never before been poured at the Public House. All of the following descriptions are from the brewery’s web site.

Aprihop
Brewed with luscious apricots and finished with whole-leaf hops. A "fruit beer for hop heads," according to Ale Street News. Fruity, citrusy, cedar, thirst-quenching.
7% abv … 55 ibu

Black and Blue
A Belgian-style strong ale fermented with blackberries and blueberries.
10% abv

Burton Baton
A blend of oak-aged English strong ale and our 90 Minute IPA. Citrus notes from Northwestern hops meld with vanilla notes from the oak.
10.0% abv

Immort Ale
Vast in character, luscious & complex. Brewed with peat-smoked barley, this strong ale is brewed with organic juniper berries, vanilla & maple syrup. It's aged on oak and fermented with a blend of English & Belgian yeasts.
11% abv … 40 IBUs

Palo Santo Marron (Holy Tree Brown)
An unfiltered, unfettered, unprecedented brown ale aged in handmade wooden brewing vessels. The caramel and vanilla complexity unique to this beer comes from the exotic Paraguayan Palo Santo wood from which these tanks were crafted. Palo Santo means "holy tree" and its wood is used in South American wine-making communities. This beer is a 12% abv, highly roasty, and malty brown ale aged on the Palo Santo wood. It was a huge hit at our Rehoboth Beach brewpub when first released in November of 2006, so it's coming back... into full production! At 10,000 gallons each, these are the largest wooden brewing vessels built in America since before Prohibition.

Red & White
A big, belgian-style Wit brewed with coriander and orange peel and fermented with Pinot Noir juice. After fermentation a fraction of the batch is aged in Oregon Pinot Noir barrels, and another fraction is aged on oak staves. The beer is blended together before packaging. This has been one of our most popular Limited Edition beers at both our Rehoboth Beach, DE brewpub and at festivals. It successfully marries the refreshing citrusy qualities of a Belgian-style white beer with the robust complexity of a bold red wine.
10% abv

NABC/Rich O’s themed guest beer weeks are coming in July.

Much time has been spent recently beating the drum about NABC's house beers, but of course we're still serving great beers from America and abroad. Rather than hoard everything for the periodic festivals, I've decided that it might be more fun to throw a few kegs on the board during July (and August, but I haven't gotten there yet) and see what happens.

Here's the overview. The specifics will follow over the next couple of days.

Week of July 7, 2008
Victory Brewing Company Drafts (Finally) Invade Indiana
Hop Devil, Prima Pils and Golden Monkey on tap, and Victory Flight Night on Tuesday, July 8.

Week of July 14, 2008
Draft Hoosier Brews for Indiana Beer Week
A new event, Indiana Beer Week, has been organized by the Brewers of Indiana Guild. NABC will have a quartet of rare Hoosier brews on tap.

Week of July 21, 2008
Carobs, Chestnuts, Chinotto & Chamomile: Italian Microbrewed Specialties
Four newly available Italian microbrewed specialties, none seen before on draft in metropolitan Louisville.

Week of July 28, 2008
Dogfish Head Off-Kilter Sixers
Selected sixth barrels of rare Dogfish Head specialties.

Stay tuned ... details are following.