An effort to resurrect a 3,000-year old beer
And how a fabulous divorcee blew the better part of $100 million while trying to enter the drinks and food business
Dylan McDonnell, the head of a not-for-profit organization and amateur brewer, got an idea. Could he recreate a very ancient beer?
According to the New York Times, it was no easy process:
Constrained by work and family, Mr. McDonnell took more than three years to carry out what he described as his “harebrained” idea. First, he consulted the Ebers Papyrus, an Egyptian text of medical recipes from 1500 B.C….. Mr. McDonnell eventually found about 75 recipes for beer and compiled the ingredients in a spreadsheet. Eventually, he settled on the eight most frequently mentioned: desert dates, Yemeni Sidr honey, sycamore figs, Israeli golden raisins, prickly juniper berries, carob fruit, black cumin and frankincense.
The brew, reports the paper, “Mr. McDonnell’s brew is initially sour but then becomes increasingly complex, with a refreshing, cider-like quality. The flavor, like the color, suggests apricot, and the carbonation is low.”
It’s a remarkable story, and one that could not have had occured without the miracle that is the Internet.
News and new stuff
“Bacan Guaro, an award-winning, super-premium, kosher-certified aguardiente, is set to transform how consumers view and enjoy this traditional Colombian spirit. New to the market, Bacan offers a contemporary twist on a quintessentially Colombian beverage known locally as "guaro," making it an enticing choice for the discerning consumer. Debuting in select U.S. markets this summer (Florida, New York, and New Jersey) and available for sale online through shopbacanguaro.com, Bacan Guaro is available in two strengths (24% ABV and 29% ABV), each retailing at $49.99/700ml. For consumers who wish to try both strengths, a 200ml luxury gift set is available for $54.99…” (Read more)
One more sign that Bourbon, the distinctly American spirit, has gone global: Buffalo Trace distillery will have a pop-up bar at the Olympics in Paris. USA! USA! USA! Guests will be able to sip some very fancy whiskeys…. (Read more)
Are you curious about grapes and the vines they grow upon but don’t really want to spend a lot of time studying the topic? Then check out Vero Vino’s nifty, concise posts on grapes… (Read more)
Slumping US-made wine sales has led to producers tearing out vines and bulldozing vineyards reports Wine-Searcher…. (Read more)
Here’s something you may not have thought about: the herbs and spices used to make gin. Where do they come from? And can farmers and producers keep up with growing global demand…. (Read more)
How not to get into the food and drinks business
Splice Today recounts how a fabulous divorcee Patricia Kluge blew billions upon billions of dollars on a boutique winery and a gas station-eatery in Charlotteville, Virginia.
Patricia Kluge, with no experience in the wine business, founded a winery on the property because of her fondness for wine—the approach of a wealthy dilettante. I heard stories about her paying $1 million to a French consultant, and there wasn’t just one of them…. Kluge imported expensive oak barrels for the wine. She had the boxes it sold in designed by a distant member of the British royal family. Unchecked spending produced a high price tag on a bottle of Kluge wine, making it challenging to sell, even though the general consensus was that it was a fine wine. Chelsea Clinton served it at her wedding, and that sort of early success spurred plans of expansion. But Kluge had already spent so much by then that this required borrowing $65 million, secured against Albemarle House.
It all ended badly, and the ultimate winnner was, yes, Donald J. Trump…. (Read more)
Bonus fun fact: Ms. Kluge was formerly married to mogul John Kluge, who gave the Library of Congress (my former employer) a huge donation that endows its Kluge Scholar Center!