A team of U.S. archaeologists and a microbrewer have recreated a golden colored braggot/metheglin/pyment based upon dried-up dregs found in the tomb of the legendary King Midas.
Called ``King Midas's Golden Elixir'' , the brew was recreated by Delaware microbrewer, Sam Calagione, from the remains of the king's funeral feast. Note: not meant to imply "using" or "including" the remains, heaven forbid!
The tomb of King Midas , king of the Phrygians, was discovered in 1957 near Ankara, Turkey, and is dated about 2,700 years old.
University of Pennysylvania archaelogists discovered the tomb of Midas complete with his skeleton during an excavation of the ancient capital of Phrygia started in the 1950's.
Chemical analysis of the dregs showed grapes, barley, honey, herbs and spices. The recreated recipe includes white Muscat grapes, barley malt, thyme honey and saffron with a final alcohol of 7.5% (unknown as to by volume or by weight) using an ale yeast.
Two kegs of the elixir were brewed in April, 2000 for a banquet to benefit Penn's Molecular Archaeology Program: `A Feast Fit for King Midas.' Good luck to them!
Seems like Penn museum has got the brewing bug: they teamed up with Fritz Maytag, founder of Anchor Steam Brewery and local brew deity, on Fritz's Ninkasi project, which recreated a 3,800-year-old recipe found in a hymn to the Sumerian beer goddess, Ninkasi. An award of the same name is presented to a winning homebrewer at the A.O.B. (Trivia: Fritz has gone on to make Gin (Old Junipero), Rye (Old Potrero), and a single malt scotch (ol' too expensive for me ;))
According to myth, King Midas lived in a rose-garden palace in Macedonia (a region of present day Greece). Midas wished that everything he touched would turn to gold. The god Dionysus granted him his wish but soon enough, Midas backpedalled since food, drink, and his children also turned to gold. So he pleaded to be set free of the wish, which was granted, but as penance Midas had to wash in the river Pactolus (in present day Turkey). Subsequently, Midas was adopted by childless Phrygian King Gordius (origin of the "gordian knot?").
In history, Midas was as warrior king who ruled Phrygia and conquered neighboring Assyrians. He died a natural death at the age of 60 or 65 around 700 BC.
Scientists say Midas' unusual drink is important because the same stuff, called "kykeon" in Greek, has been found at Greek archaeological sites dating back 3,100 years ago.
"I was scared out of my pants," said Sam Calagione, of the Dogfish Head Craft Brewery of Lewes, Delaware. "There was no benchmark or precedent for this project -- anyone who'd had a benchmark for this brew was long dead." With the ingredients Sam chose, California grapes, English malt, Italian honey, and Indian saffron, "It's just too expensive to market commercially," but not for homebrewers! And remember to serve "phrigid".