An Iron Brew: 2,500-Year-Old Drink Recreated by Archaeologists and Brewers

In some of the latest news in archaeology, a bronze cauldron was discovered inside a burial plot from 400 or 450 BC in Germany. The walls of the vessel contained precious remnants of an old drink recipe. Now, researchers have managed to recreate the ancient brew.

According to ZME Science, Bettina Arnold, a researcher from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, examined a burial plot in Swabia, Germany dated back to the 5th century BC. The investigation of the grave was connected to the discovery of a tumulus, which looks like a mound of earth, and cut stones placed over a burial. The site was created between the 7th-5th centuries BC.

The bronze cauldron during excavations in Swabia, Germany. Source: Bettina Arnold

The bronze pot, or cauldron, which was discovered inside the tomb became Arnold’s focus of interest. She wondered why people brought it to the tomb and the reason they needed to drink the alcohol inside. Arnold believes that the cauldron once held about 14 liters (3.7 gallons) of an alcoholic beverage that could have been used by the spirit of the deceased to establish himself as an important person in front of his gods.