Pouring the Past

Questions of Authenticity in Ancient Beer Recreations

Authors

  • Marie Hopwood Vancouver Island University
  • Melissa M. Ayling Simon Fraser University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/aff.21904

Keywords:

authenticity, ancient beer, beer recreation, brewing, archaeology of alcohol, experimental archaeology

Abstract

One of the first questions asked of ancient ale recreations is whether or not the beer is ‘authentic’. In the subtext of this question is an unwavering belief that a single, original form actually existed and is attainable in a modern ale inspired by millennia-old archaeological traces. This desire for an idealized authenticity comes even before curiosity about how the beverage tastes, which begs the question: what is actually being consumed? The ‘authentic’ circumstances of ancient beer brewing differ with each archaeological investigation. Many of the earliest brews would require some form of hygienically questionable open boils in large ceramic vessels in order to be recreated, and were designed to be drunk through straws made of… straw. Under this burden of proof, an ancient-inspired ale would only be deemed genuine if not viable in a craft beer market. Yet this consumer desire for an authentic experience or product has been groomed for decades through tourism. Consumers believe that the authentic exists, is packageable, and can be purchased. Today, the question of authenticity is compounded with the serious issues of cultural appropriation, decolonizing tourism, and global, migratory work forces. All of this leads to the very real need for an exploration of authenticity in experimental and sensory archaeology. Towards that goal, we discuss authenticity and its implications for ancient beer recreations, its implications for experimental archaeology, and how to best unpack this topic for the broader audiences for whom these recreations are made.

Author Biographies

  • Marie Hopwood, Vancouver Island University

    Marie Hopwood received her PhD in Anthropology from Binghamton University in 2010. She is currently a Professor and Department Chair of the Department of Anthropology at Vancouver Island University in British Columbia (BC), Canada. Her research centers on the social roles and identities created through ancient alcohol production and consumption. Through her research project Raise Your Glass to the Past, Marie and her research partner Dave Paul, owner/brewer of LoveShack Libations, Qualicum Beach, BC, brew ancient-inspired ales and mobilize archaeological knowledge through tasting events and other research. Some of Marie’s students, like Melissa, are branching out into their own research, which is fabulous.

  • Melissa M. Ayling, Simon Fraser University

    Melissa M. Ayling is working towards her Master of Arts (MA) degree in Archaeology at Simon Fraser University, in British Columbia, Canada. Her MA research is a chaîne opératoire documentation of beer production by women in a traditional, non-mechanized rural setting in Tigray, northern Ethiopia. While the majority of Melissa’s research is based on alcoholic beverages, she is interested in all forms of culinary culture and especially traditional fermentation practices. Melissa is also a trained commercial kombucha brewer

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Published

2023-12-29

How to Cite

Hopwood, M., & Ayling, M. M. (2023). Pouring the Past: Questions of Authenticity in Ancient Beer Recreations. Archaeology of Food and Foodways, 2(1), 1-25. https://doi.org/10.1558/aff.21904