Program lets people drink back in time
BRADY TWP — It's rare beer is the reason for attending a class, especially on a weekend. But that will be the case starting at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Old Stone House.
Slippery Rock University's historic structure will host “Ancient Ales,” an educational program on the history of beer.
The program will combine live brewing demonstrations, informal discussions and sample tastings to explore the important role of beer in Greek, Roman, Egyptian and other ancient cultures.
“There's good archaeological evidence that beer was brewed very early in human history, as early as 6,000-7,000 years ago,” said Aksel Casson, an instructor in Slippery Rock's professional studies and interdisciplinary programs department.
“Beer was important in ancient religious ceremonies, in art and in political ritual as well. Ancient monarchs were often buried with vast quantities of beer, intended for use in the afterlife,” he said.
SRU professors will be on hand to discuss how archaeological and historical evidence explain what kinds of beers ancient people drank, as well as the role beer played in shaping ancient culture.
Guests will be able to sample ancient beers based on recipes from ancient Greek and early-Norse cultures. Light hors d'oeuvres will be served.
Ancient brewing techniques, including the unusual “hot-stone boil,” will be demonstrated.
The method gets its name from a technique of boiling wort, or pre-beer liquid, in the brew kettle by dropping superheated stones into the kettle.
In the past, many brew kettles were made of wood and obviously could not be direct-fired.
The hot-stone method was the only way the wort could be brought to a boil.
“It's pretty exciting,” said Sean MacMillan, an assistant professor teaching metal working in the SRU art department, who was tapped to brew two beers for the event, as well as put on a demonstration of the hot-stone boil method.
“Beer boiled this way tastes different from 'normal' beer, because the rocks, when dropped into the brew, scorch and caramelize some of the malt sugars,” said MacMillan.
MacMillan said there will be two beers to sample: the stone-boil brew and a golden ale recipe that was recreated by an anthropologist who conducted a chemical analysis of residue left on ancient pottery.“It's a drink that came from King Midas' tomb,” said MacMillan. “It's got grains, grapes and honey.“In the past, there was no clear distinction between beer and wine and mead,” he said.“With the golden ale, you will definitely notice the flavor,” he said. “It's a little on the sweet side.”“We've been running the hearth-fire cooking class, but that's an ongoing thing. This is the first big event of the year,” said Ryan Sutton, the SRU graduate student in charge of the Old Stone House, of the “Ancient Ales” program.“We're estimating that the event is probably going to be two hours,” said Sutton.All ticketholders must be 21 or older. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Old Stone House's educational programs.Sutton said there are 15 people signed up for the event, but the event is designed to be available for up to 40 people.It will be a bit of a return to the good old days for the Old Stone House.It was built in 1822 by John Brown as a stagecoach stop and tavern to accommodate business from the newly constructed Pittsburgh to Erie Pike, a busy highway that carried traffic northward from the forks of the Ohio River.
<b>WHAT: </b>“Ancient Ales”<b>WHEN: </b>3 to 5 p.m. Saturday<b>WHERE: </b>Old Stone House. 2865 William Flinn Highway, Brady Township<b>INFO:</b> Tickets may be purchased by calling 724-738-4964 or visiting www.oldstonehousepa.org.
