Brewing Ancient Sumerian Beer

[The_Professor]

I have the second version of "Sumerian beer" underway.
The basics are the same.
1.8 lbs malted barley (6-row)
1.2 lbs raw barley
The grain was double milled then moistened and mixed over a couple hours to make sure it would be well hydrated. Then I let the moistened grain sit overnight, covered.
Today I mixed the grain to confirm it was well hydrated and then added in the spices.
For this batch I am using a simple homemade Zaatar mix (without salt).
Thyme
Coriander
Sumac
Sesame seeds
I gave the spices a few quick whirls in my coffee grinder, 1/4 cup each.
I mixed the spices into the grain just before baking/mashing.
I am changing up the heating schedule a bit but the time should still be about 8 hours.
I am hoping the double milling, grain resting overnight to hydrate, and the new heating schedule will kick my gravity/abv up a little.

[mashani]

1/4 cup each.

Did you mean 1/4 tsp each? 1/4 cup of all those things would seem to me to make some kind of beer from hell Kur.

[The_Professor]

Did you mean 1/4 tsp each? 1/4 cup of all those things would seem to me to make some kind of beer from hell Kur.

Yes, 1/4 cup each.
The previous "Sumerian beer" had 1/3 cup of the store bought Syrian spice mix and it was subtle enough that it blended in with the Belgian yeast flavors. (With the oddball being the black pepper).
I believe baking it with the grain is different than putting it all in a hop sack in a finished beer, but we will see.
The first mix was so subtle I wanted to kick it up. One of the ingredients in this mix is the sesame seed which should be good if it is noticeable.
I sure hope I have not made a beer from Hellas as I am trying to make a beer from Sumeria.

[mashani]

I hope it turns out good, now I'm curious. I guess baked it would probably take out some of the volatile oils and make it mellower and then I also forgot that this is going in the "mash" vs. boiled in wort. So that makes sense...

[The_Professor]

The Brix for this second batch seems to be similar to the first. 9.5 (1.038) this time.
That may not really mean much as I am not getting a clear line to read on the refractometer. I assume due to the murkiness of the wort.
I am using Nottingham yeast this time. I'll see what I have next weekend.

A note of the previous batch of "Sumerian beer". It began to sour a few days after popping the top of the fermenter and drinking it (remember, no hops).
Thyme (used in this second batch) is supposed to have antimicrobial properties but I have no idea how much would need to be used or how well it performs in wort/beer.

[mashani]

I know that thymol, and thymoquinone can all have significant suppressant effects on many types of lacto, they have been studied in pretty good detail. But in concentrations that work, it also has a significant effect on many types of fungus and yeasts too.

I don't know how to estimate concentration at all based on what you are doing, its pretty impossible since nothing has been isolated.

I do know that at concentrations of around 1mg/ml it will pretty much eradicate everything likely including brewing yeast. But I don't think you are achieving anywhere near that kind of concentration.

[The_Professor]

......But in concentrations that work, it also has a significant effect on many types of fungus and yeasts too......

That's interesting. Hops antimicrobial properties do not affect yeast?

[mashani]

Saccharomyces cerevisiae and other beer yeasts have a modified cell wall that protects it from alpha acids, and a kind of mechanism where it actively expels and is protected from and even repairs its own DNA if even if it does get in, so alpha acids have little to no effect on brewing yeast.

I don't know if it's always been that way, or if brewing yeast mutated over the years as people started to use hops in beer.

Where it does cause all sorts of issues to gram+ bacteria. But some types of lacto and pedio have developed some "hop tolerance" over the years due to modified genetics. Not enough to be a real problem... yet... as long as you have good sanitation. But those types are likely the ones people run into most often when a batch goes sour or bad even though they think they did everything right.

Alpha acids have little to no effect on gram- bacteria, so this is why you can still make vinegar if acetobacter gets into beer no matter how highly it is hopped if there is oxygen available. In the case of IPAs, really really nasty vinegar.

[The_Professor]

Tasting the second batch of "Sumerian Beer" today.
The spices are not too heavy. Slightly tart (from the thyme or the beer?). The flavors just blend together. It is slightly fruity. I would rate this a solid "good". Remember I am drinking it uncarbed at room temp.
It apparently did not ferment as well as the first batch. It went from 9.5 Brix (1.038) to 6.5 Brix (1.018) for an ABV of 2.68. Still not sure how correct the readings are due to the murkiness.

[The_Professor]

Today I'll try another ancient beer recipe
This one calls for malt, emmer, and bappir.
I'll use:
26 oz 6 row
19 oz raw emmer
2 oz each diastatic malted barley flour and organic barley flour

The spice additions this time will be licorice root and saffron.
I cold steeped the licorice root and saffron separately and will add the tea to the finished beer.

[The_Professor]

This 3rd "Sumerian beer" is fermenting now.
The Brix was 8.0 (1.032)
I mixed the "bread" into the water shortly after baking/mashing this time.
I added the licorice and saffron teas then the yeast (Nottingham).

[Inkleg]

Today I'll try another ancient beer recipe

With the recipe in the link saying it was for 40 liters that must have been an interesting operation to watch back then.

[The_Professor]

This third "Sumerian beer" is excellent.
A nice mellow flavor (malt and light licorice) that is not overpowering.
Final Brix was 5.0 for a 2.8 ABV.
A beer with emmer is supposed to be better so maybe that is part of why this is excellent.
I'll get a picture tomorrow when there is more light but I think this is going to qualify as "golden beer".

[mashani]

Where did you get emmer?

[The_Professor]

Where did you get emmer?

This batch is from nuts.com.
I have also found it at Whole Foods on occasion.