Recipe includes pomegranates, honey, myrrh This Ancient Ale proves that beside the wine on most Italian dinner tables, there should also be a place for beer. To develop the recipe for Birra Etrusca Bronze, Dogfish Head's Sam Calagione traveled to Rome with molecular archaeologist Dr. Pat McGovern. With the help of Birreria Brother Brewers Leo DeVencenzo of Birra del Borgo and Teo Musso of Baladin, they analyzed drinking vessels found in 2,800-year-old Etruscan tombs. Although Italian historians were a little reluctant to admit it, the team clearly found that the Etruscans had a taste for ale. "In every part of the process, we go for as much authenticity as we can," Calagione says. "Ingredients are often tough to track down, and there can be financial and logistical challenges, but we really love embracing these risks to bring these beers to market." The backbone of Birra Etrusca comes from two-row malted barley and an heirloom Italian wheat. Specialty ingredients include hazelnut flour, pomegranates, Italian chestnut honey, Delaware wildflower honey and clover honey. A handful of whole-flower hops are added, but the bulk of the bitterness comes from gentian root and the sarsaparilla-like Ethiopian myrrh resin. Birra del Borgo and Baladin also will brew a version of Birra Etrusca, and to add complexity and variety, each brewery will ferment its batches with different traditional materials. Dogfish will use bronze, Baladin will use wood, and Birra del Borgo will use terra cotta. To learn more about the 8.5% ABV Birra Etrusca Bronze, visit http://www.dogfish.com ###
RAD! I have loved the Ancient Ale series. A huge CHEERS to all involved in these fantastic projects. I really like the way DFH and Dr. Pat are able to be on the same historical page. I like the inclusion of Leo and Teo! ~ Phil
This sounds awesome! Love every DFH beer as it is.. this sounds very interesting! Looking forward to this.
Say what you want about DFH, but this is really what I love about them. Their dedication to pushing the envelope into the future as well as looking to the past simultaneously is something that few breweries are doing. Also, Sam has always seemed like a swell guy.
I can't imagine that whatever they were drinking 2800 years ago in Rome was any good. Let's hope Sam has improved upon it because, quite frankly, I have no idea what gentian root or myrrh resin tastes like.
This is what I love about DFH's Ancient Ales (and a few others). I go into each beer having no idea what to expect and almost always I enjoy what I find. I really look forward to this brew
The DFH Etrusca landed at a local store, but it's distributor and I'd have to buy a case of 12 bombers. Hoping I can find individuals somewhere.
All of the other Ancient Ales, for better or worse, were not 100% authentic and were tweaked to suit a mass audience of beer drinkers (look at DFH's Sah-tea compared to Nogne's more traditional Sahti). This one will be no different, I'm sure. I just hope it's better than Ta Henket.
Would it be too much to ask that the beers also made to my specifications and delivered to me personally? I hate lines.
There's nothing 100% "authentic" about these beers. They are evaluations of what Dogfish THINKS went into making the traditional beers, not what actually was in them. (I see your point about Sah-tea, which is a traditional style). So I think it's fair game for them to elaborate or get creative with the beers. Dogfish really isn't about sticking to tradition or style anyway.
Don't know about you guys, but the only ancient ale that I enjoyed so far was Theobrama. I really like that one.
I know what gentian root tastes like; Moxie soda. I remember it from the 40' and 50's as the most bitter stuff I ever drank. I tried it again a few years ago and it tasted pretty good (but then again I am a hophead). Moxie is the official soft drink of the state of Maine. Boston Red Sox slugger Ted Williams endorsed it on radio and in print. The company also marketed a beverage called "Ted's Root Beer" in the early sixties. “Moxie contains gentian root, which is the path to the good life.”[ Currently, one of the ingredients of Moxie is “Gentian Root Extractives,” which may contribute to the drink's unique flavor.
I haven't had any of the Ancient Ales series yet, but they do sound quite interesting. Of course there is no way to be 100% true to these ancient recipes, it's still nice to see DFH stretching the boudaries.
This one sounds really cool. The DFH Ancient Ales are always fun to try, even if they're not the best beers in the world. It's nice to have something completely different every now and then that's not just weird for the sake of being weird.
I drank this at the alehouse in gaithersburg, MD today. Pretty terrible. The 1oz sample was too much.
Until recently, I hadn't tried Ta Hen Ket since I've gotten universal negative feedback regarding it. I figured I'd give it a shot and it was just as horrible as described. So does Birra Etrusca Bronze have Ta Hen Ket beat?
Without a doubt. Tahenket was at least palatable. Etruska leaves you wondering what calagione is thinking. Really offputting nose and the taste is equally bad. It smells 8000 years old.
Funny you mention that...I LOVED Ta Hen Ket. This is why I take most reviews with a grain of grain. (beer pun). My major pet peeve at 'Fests is hearing ppl say..*You won't like it*. Cheers
It's pretty readily available here in Western PA. Picked up a bomber a couple of weeks ago but haven't tried it yet. It's on deck though, chilling in my counter top fridge. Reviews on here so far are kind of mediocre.
Sah tea and midas touch are my personal favorites of the series. I enjoyed this one because its very different, more of a summer time beer thought, very dry and boozy finnish like wine. I did not like the first sip or second. Anyone trying this beer i would recommend only chilling it slightly, you can really pick up the honey and more subtle spice notes when it warms up and drinks more smooth
I found one yesterday at SuperSaver in Somerville, NJ, but I had to ask for it. I know Trenton Road Take Out (in Fallsington, PA right across the water from Trenton) has quite a few. Really looking forward to it as I have quite enjoyed all of the ancient styles, especially Midas Touch.
