Illustrations by Ola Volo
Talk to Travis Rupp at Avery Brewing Company or Sam Calagione at Dogfish Head Brewery about brewing ancient beers, and they’ll share many insights, including this bit of news: mouthfeel can take on a whole new meaning. For example, the traditional method for making chicha, an ancient Peruvian fermented beverage, can involve a fair amount of chewing and spitting maize in a process known as known as salivation. Even small batches require hours of munching. Many brewers in modern day Central and South America, lacking mash tuns, still employ the method to convert complex starches into fermentable sugars. “There’s a component in human saliva called α-Amylase that converts the starches from maize into fermentable sugars,” says Rupp, Avery’s research and development manager and resident beer archaeologist. These days the protein enzyme α-Amylase can be purchased (which Rupp now does after trying the chewing method in an experimental batch). But for brewers looking to recreate a 2,000 year-old recipe, getting a brew as authentic as possible often means a bit of the unconventional. Calagione, the founder […]
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