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Dr. Ronen Hazan
(right), a microbiologist at the Hebrew University-Hadassah School of
Dental Medicine, introduces the ancient yeast project to the press. (Photo: Mike Horton) |
Four years ago I was at a very boozy press conference at Birateinu, the Jerusalem Beer Center, for the official introduction of a beer fermented with a 3,000-year-old yeast strain. The yeast was found in Philistine pottery shards from the Tel es-Safi (Gath) archaeological site.
The story caught the public's imagination and Birateinu was mobbed with journalists and photographers. Of course, I also wrote about it, and you can read my article here. It gives the complete background to this amazing story.
Almost immediately, the team of archaeologists, microbiologists and brewers that succeeded in revitalizing, nurturing and brewing with the ancient yeast strain, began exploring possible commercial ventures.
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| The original team of microbiologists, archaeologists and beer brewers who revitalized, nurtured and brewed beer from the 3,000-year-old yeast strain. (Photo: Yaniv Berman, courtesy of the Israel Antiquities Authority) |
In fact, they created an Israeli startup named Primer's Heritage Yeast, headed by Itai Gutman, one of the founders of Herzl Brewery and now living in Berlin.
The first customer for the 3,000-year-old yeast was the Shikma Brewery in Ashkelon. Last month, they introduced Hamishteh ("The Feast") beer. Working closely with the Heritage Yeast team, the Shikma brewers were able to devise a recipe for their beer that allowed the aroma and flavor of the yeast to take center stage. This means that the malt and hops were kept very mild so as not to overpower the yeast.
Unusual for any Israeli beer, the barley for HaMishteh was grown in Israel.
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| HaMishteh Beer from the Shikma Brewery: Fruity esters and spicy phenols like a Belgian ale. |
When I tasted this beer, my first impression was to draw comparisons with Belgian ales and German wheat ale (hefeweizen). Both of these styles get flavors from the yeast – fruity esters including banana, and clove-like phenols. This is what I tasted in Hamishteh.
It is an enjoyable, balanced beer, aromatic and flavorful, fun to drink, with a very modest 4.7% alcohol by volume.
Gutman explained that we shouldn't be surprised to find Belgian yeast characteristics in the 3,000-year-old strain. "Belgian brewers have been using traditional yeast cultures for hundreds of years. These are closer to our ancient yeast varieties than the more modern and 'domesticated' strains that are used in the popular lagers and ales around the world."
It's no wonder, then, that Hamishteh, brewed with yeast from the Philistine city of Gath, actually tastes similar to Belgian ale.
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| The old blogger is joined by his archaeologist son, Dr. Aharon Greener, at the launch of HaMishteh Beer at the Israel Museum. |
Primer's Heritage Yeast will be available for sale later this year to anyone who wants to use it, according to Gutman. It can already be pre-ordered on the website.
"We decided to sell the yeast rather than the beer," says Gutman, "so people can use it to make whatever they want. We don't want to stop at beer. We hope our ancient yeast strains will be used, for example, by bread bakers, winemakers, mead brewers, even for cheese and other dairy products."
All that is planned for the future. What you can buy and drink today is a beer made with the same yeast strain used 3,000 years ago.
Even if it isn't the same beer that warmed the heart of the Pharaohs, Cleopatra or Goliath.