You are a beer brewer in Ancient Mesopotamia. The great feast for the inaguration of the new king is just a week away and you've been tasked with brewing 2000 liters of beer for the event!
[[Better get brewing!]]
[[I think I'll just take a nap instead]]Thinking that getting to work right away would be the best option, you start to design your recipe.
What will you put in this beer?
[[Barley, Water, Bread]]
[[Barley, Water, Bread, Herbs, Honey, Grapes]]Despite your better judgement you decide to take a nap. This results in you oversleeping by two days! The deadline is up and you haven't brewed any beer!
The king hangs you for incompetence. (set: $simpleRecipe to true)
Okay, keeping it simple. A bold move. Let's hope it pays off.
Let's begin our preparations.
Will you [[mill the barley]] or use [[whole barley]]?(set: $simpleRecipe to false)
Ah a brewer with a sense of adventure I see!
Very well, Let's begin our preparations.
Will you
[[mill the barley]]
or use
[[whole barley]]?(set: $milled to true)
Smart choice! Every brewer knows that milled barley produces a much higher alcohol content!
Let's begin mashing! (The process in which we add the barley to water)
Will you use the [[cold mashing process]] or the [[hot mashing process?]](set: $milled to false)
Oh trying something new are we? Or just saving time?
Brewers mill, or crush, the barley to get a higher effeciency of amalayses during the mash. The more amalayses in the mash, the higher the potential of alcohol.
Let's begin mashing! (The process in which we add the barley to water)
Will you use the [[cold mashing process]] or the [[hot mashing process?]](set: $coldmash to true)
Deciding on the cold mashing method, which uses cold water to mash the grist (or the mixture of milled barley).
This isn't a common method by any means. There is very few instances of this method actually being used historically. One comes from the site of Tall Bazi in modern day Syria.
Great let's [[continue]] to the next step!(set: $hotmash to true)
Going with the tried and true method of the hot mashing method. Using hot water for mashing allows the amalayses to break down into sugars easier and quicker than using cold water. This will allow for a much higher alcohol content for the finished product.
Great let's [[continue]] to the next step!{
(if: $milled is true and $hotmash is true)[
(set: $strongAlcohol to true)
]
(else:)[
(set: $strongAlcohol to false)
]
(if: $simpleRecipe is true)[Alright, the mash is done
What would you like to do next?
[[Add Bread]]
[[Bring to boil]]]
(if: $simpleRecipe is false)[All done!
Let's move onto the next step!
[[Bring to boil]]]
}(set: $earlyBread to true)
You decide to add the bread a bit early. Perhaps you've stumbled on something brand new and delicious. Or perhaps not.
Bread may seem like a strange addition to beer, but it was typically used to ferment the beer after the mash.
(if: $simpleRecipe is true)[
Let's go to the next step!
[[Bring to boil]]
]
(else:)[
(set: $breadIn to true)
Let's move onto the next step. Cooling the boil!
[[Next step]]
]Ah the fun really begins now! The boil is where the wort (beer before the addition of yeast) is heated to boiling point. This boils off excess water, sterilizes the liquid, and is a great time to add flavorings! The Mesopotamians didn't use hops in their beer, but they did add something else!
(if: $earlyBread is true)[
(if: $simpleRecipe is true)[
Since you are making such a simple recipe, and have preemptively added the bread for some reason, there is only one thing left to do! Wait!
[[Next step]]
]]
(if: $simpleRecipe is false)[
(set: $breadIn to false)
(set: $grapesIn to false)
(set: $herbsIn to false)
This complex recipe requires an addition in the boil. What would you like to add?
[[Add Bread]]
[[Add Grapes]]
[[Add Herbs]]
](set: $honeyIn to true)
The preemptive honey addition! Why would you do something so brave yet so controversial? Although honey can and is often added during the boil for various modern beers and mead, the ancient Near Eastern brewers used honey in a completely different manner.
Moving on....
[[Next step]] (set: $grapesIn to true)
Oof, thats gonna be interesting. The addition of fruits during the boil produces loads of strange off flavors that are typically undesirable to the modern pallete. But perhaps this would have been different thousands of years ago. Nevertheless, grapes weren't typically used for flavor. They had another use!
Lets move on to the [[Next step]] quickly shall we?
(set: $herbsIn to true)
Congratulations! The herbs, or more commonly referred to as gruit in the brewing world, are typically added during the boil.
Let's move on to the [[Next step]]!The boil is finished and has cooled down! Now comes the tough part.
(if: $simpleRecipe is true)[
Let's start the waiting period of brewing! Fermentation. Will you put the vessel in a [[dark and cool place]] or a [[warm and bright place]]?
]
(else-if: $simpleRecipe is false and $herbsIn is true)[
We have a few more things to do!
We should first put the grapes into the beer.
Let's transfer the beer into [[bee hives]]!
or perhaps we should just [[store this vessel]]?
]
(else-if: $simpleRecipe is false and $grapesIn is true)[
We should probably add in the herbs now!
Then, Let's transfer the beer into [[bee hives]]!
or perhaps we should just [[store this vessel]]?
]
(else-if: $simpleRecipe is false and $breadIn is true)[
We should probably add the herbs and grapes now!
Then it is time to wait for fermentation to take place!
Let's transfer the beer into [[bee hives]]!
or perhaps we should just [[store this vessel]]?
]
(set: $skunked to false)
This is the best way to store beer whilst it is fermenting! This allows the yeast to remain healthy during the entire process of fermentation.
[[Wait a few days]](set: $skunked to true)
This will lead to a poorly performing yeast. The ancient mesopotamians didn't know about yeast as it wasn't discovered as the cause of fermentation until the 19th century. However, they would have known through trial and error that storing beer in a warm environment produced a beer with a lower alcohol content and weird off flavors.
[[Wait a few days]](set: $beehive to true)
While you were pouring it into the beehive you lost 100 liters!
Although this is an interesting technique, the loss of beer might be detrimental to our health. Let's hope it pays off!
At an ancient Gordion site in modern day Turkey, archaeologists found evidence of beer being stored in beehives. Beehives are a naturally anaerobic environment. This prevents the beer from being oxidized and producing strange off flavors. BONUS! The beehive also gives the beer a nice and sweet taste due to residual honey in the hive.
Where should you store this fermentation vessel?
[[dark and cool place]]
[[warm and bright place]] (set: $beehive to false)
A tried and true method! Much easier to deal handle and this way you dont risk losing any of the beer! It is thought that many brewers would ferment in their brewing vessel. However, this practice is no longer in use today.
Where do you want to store the fermentation vessel?
[[dark and cool place]]
[[warm and bright place]] Brewing a modern beer typically takes upwards of a month, but it is thought that ancient beers would have only lasted a few weeks before going off.
The feast is tomorrow! You must make any final preparations and then deliver the beer to the banquet hall!
Will you try and [[filter]] the beer?
Or provide [[straws]] with metal strainer tips to filter out any remaining grist?
(if: $simpleRecipe is false and $herbsIn is true and $beehive is true and $skunked is false and $strongAlcohol is true)[
(set: $bestEnding to true)
]
(else-if: $simpleRecipe is true)[
(set: $worstEnding to true)
]
(else-if: $simpleRecipe is false and $herbsIn is true and $beehive is true and $skunked is true and $strongAlcohol is true)[
(set: $worstEnding to true)
]
(else-if: $simpleRecipe is false and $breadIn is true and $beehive is true and $skunked is true and $strongAlcohol is true)[
(set: $worstEnding to true)
]
(else-if: $simpleRecipe is false and $breadIn is true and $beehive is false and $skunked is true and $strongAlcohol is true)[
(set: $worstEnding to true)
]
(else-if: $simpleRecipe is false and $breadIn is true and $beehive is true and $skunked is true and $strongAlcohol is false)[
(set: $worstEnding to true)
]
(else-if: $simpleRecipe is false and $grapesIn is true and $beehive is true and $skunked is true and $strongAlcohol is true)[
(set: $worstEnding to true)
]
(else-if: $simpleRecipe is false and $herbsIn is true and $beehive is true and $skunked is false and $strongAlcohol is false)[
(set: $okayEnding to true)
]
(else-if: $simpleRecipe is false and $herbsIn is true and $beehive is false and $skunked is false and $strongAlcohol is false)[
(set: $okayEnding to true)
]
(else-if: $simpleRecipe is false and $breadIn is true and $beehive is true and $skunked is false and $strongAlcohol is false)[
(set: $okayEnding to true)
]
(else-if: $simpleRecipe is false and $breadIn is true and $beehive is false and $skunked is false and $strongAlcohol is false)[
(set: $okayEnding to true)
]
(else:)[
(set: $okayEnding to true)
]
(set: $straws to false)
You decide to attempt to filter out the beer by passing it through a bit of linen as you pour into a new vessel. This technique causes you to spill 50 liters of beer! Perhaps no one will notice though!
[[Day of the Feast!]](set: $straws to true)
You decide to procure some straws from the local foliage and attach metal strainer tips to the ends to act as a filter. While this doesn't lose you any beer, you hope you have enough straws to go around!
[[Day of the Feast!]] The day is finally here! The inaguration of the new king! This will surely be a feast that will be remembered for millenia!
As the banquet begins, you bring your goods down a precession to the king to show him your offering!
The king takes a sip of your beer and...
{
(if: $worstEnding is true)[
spits it out into your face immediately!
"How dare you serve me this peasant's piss!" He screams as guards surround you. "Take this man to the dungeons" he proclaims as you are carried off kicking and screaming.
You are never seen or heard from again....
[[Game Over]]
]
(if: $bestEnding is true)[
ponders the cup for what seems to be an eternity. You nervously await the kings approval. He takes another sip, 'this must be a good sign' you think to yourself. "OOOOOOOOO WEEEEEEEE!" the king exclaims loudly for all to hear. "This is the finest beverage these royal lips have ever touched! You sir or madam, are a master brewer indeed! I would like to hire you as my personal brewer!"
This is the finest day of your life!
[[Game Over]]
]
}
(else-if: $okayEnding is true)[
smiles! "This is a fine beer! But I cannot help but notice that there is some weird flavors. Perfectly drinkable mind you!" proclaims the king. He then waves you off and greets his next offering.
What a spledid remark from the king, but you can't help but think something went wrong in the brewing process. Perhaps you will perfect the beer for the next event.
[[Game Over]]
]Thanks for playing the game! For anyone interested in more information about the history of beer or Mesopotamian beer, here is a list of relevant readings to keep you busy!
Brunke, H., 2011. Feasts for the Living, the Dead, and the Gods, in K. Radner and E. Robson (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Cuneiform Culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1-18
Damerow, P., 2012. Sumerian beer: the origins of brewing technology in ancient Mesopotamia. Cuneiform Digital Library Journal 2, 1-20.
Dietler, M. and B. Hayden, 2010. Digesting the Feast: Good to Eat, Good to Drink, Good to Think, in M. Dietler and B. Hayden (eds), Feasts: Archaeological and Ethnographic Perspectives on Food, Politics, and Power. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1-20.
Hartman L. F and A. L. Oppenheim, 1950. On beer and brewing techniques in Ancient Mesopotamia according to the XXIIIrd Tablet of the Series Ḫarṛa = ḫubullu. Baltimore: The American Oriental Society (Supplement to the Journal of the American Oriental Society 10.)
Homan, M. M., 2002. Beer Production by Throwing Bread into Water: A New Interpretation of Qoh. XI 1-2. Vetus Testamentum 52(2). 275-278.
Homan, M. M., 2004. Beer and Its Drinkers: An Ancient near Eastern Love Story. Near Eastern Archaeology 67(2). 84-95.
Schmandt-Besserat, D., 2010. Feasting in the ancient Near East, in M. Dietler and B. Hayden (eds) Feasts: Archaeological and ethnographic perspectives on food, politics and power. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 391-403.
Zarnkow, M., A. Otto and B. Einwag, 2011. Interdisciplinary Investigations Into The Brewing Technology Of The Ancient Near East And The Potential Of The Cold Mashing Process, in W. Schiefenhövel and H. Macbeth (eds), Liquid Bread: Beer and Brewing in Cross-Cultural Perspective. New York; Oxford: Berghahn Books, 47-54.