Beer is believed to be one of the first beverages humans ever produced. There’s evidence showing beer production in what is now Iran about 7,000 years ago and most every ancient culture shows some evidence of beer production, usually very soon after they domesticated cereal grains. The invention of bread and beer has been argued to be responsible for humanity’s ability to develop technology and build civilizations. I know I always feel like I could change the world after a few pints.

Atlanta’s Monday Night Brewing is bringing some of these ancient recipes back to life through their Ancient Garage Series of beers. The first, Ni Hao Barley, will launch at the brewery on December 1st. Monday Night’s in-house Anthropologist, Rachel Bell, has been given free rein to work on her thesis on ancient beers at the brewery and gave us a bit more info on the story of this beer.

“The majority of the inspiration for Ni Hao Barley comes from a recent archaeological discovery from the Mijiaya site in northern China, dating to between 3400 and 2900 BCE- about 5,000 years ago. Several ceramic vessels were recovered from the site containing residue. The residue was analyzed and the researchers were able to determine the ingredients and the look at the morphology of the grains in the residue. The grains showed clear signs of malting and mashing. The ceramic vessels were found next to a stove, which could have been used to heat the vessels for the mash process. The most interesting results concerned the ingredients. This beverage contained Job’s tears (similar to puffed barley), millet, wheat, barley, tubers (yams, snake gourd root, and lily). The biggest surprise by far was the barley. This is the earliest evidence of barley being used in China, predating its planting by about 1,000 years and its mass cultivation by about 2,000 years. This barley would have been imported from western Eurasia as a rare specialty grain. Its presence in this beer suggests that fermented beverages rather than food was the prime motivation for its cultivation. “Ni Hao” means “hello” in Chinese, so the name basically means “hello barley,” which seemed very appropriate given the implications of barely’s presence in it. Ni Hao Barley contains Job’s tears, millet, wheat, 2-row barley, Chinese yams, lily bulbs, longyan fruit and is fermented with sake yeast. Although longyan (similar to lycée) was not detected in the Mijiaya study, it is one of the fruits hypothesized to have been used in a variety of other fermented beverages. Ancient Chinese brewers made a huge variety of fermented beverages: beer, wine, sake and various blends of some or all of them. In order to really pay tribute to the amazing ancient Chinese brewers, I wanted to give this beer an adventurous fruit fusion. Josh and I worked hard to stick to the ingredients and methods uncovered by the archaeologists while still making a large batch of an enjoyable beer. Several test batches, lots of research, and many trips to the Buford Highway Farmers Market went into making the final product. It tastes light, sweet, wheaty and has a delightful hint of tartness. The nose is very reminiscent of sake. I really couldn’t have imagined it turning out any better than it did. Come out and try it!”

Ni Hao Barley Beer Launch

Date: December 1, 2016

Time: 5:30 – 7:30 PM

Location: Monday Night Brewing, 670 Trabert Ave. NW, Atlanta, GA 30318

Facebook event page.

The Ancient Garage Series (available only in Monday Night’s tasting room) is inspired by beer-related archaeological discoveries from around the world. During regular tasting room hours, in-house anthropologist will be available to teach anyone who is interested about how Ni Hao Barley was designed and created, as well as its significance for mankind. There will also be representatives from Georgia State University‘s Anthropology Department and Microbiology Department to share a little of what they do, particularly in relation to beer.

All photos courtesy Monday Night Brewing.