Farewell to the Archaeologist Who Deepened the History of Beer

The evolution of beer and brewing isn’t just dependent on new flavors and technology; it’s also vital to know more about the history of where both emerged. One of the most promient figures in helping understand where this craft came from was molecular archaeologist Patrick McGovern, whose interest in both ancient history and the creation of alcohol led some to compare him to Indiana Jones — albeit with a focus on delicious and boozy beverages.

Sadly, that impressive career is now at an end.The New York Times reported this week that Dr. McGovern died in August at the age of 80.

The University of Pennsylvania — where he had been the scientific director for the Biomolecular Archaeology Project for Cuisine, Fermented Beverages, and Health at the Penn Museum — noted in its obituary that McGovern’s work had included such finds as “alcoholic beverages in China that dated to about 7000 BCE; early wine from a Neolithic Iranian village, Hajji Firuz, from about 5400 BCE; beer from the Middle East from 3500 BCE; and some of the earliest chocolate from the Americas, dating to 1400 BCE.”

Unearthing ancient beverages and understanding how they were produced was only part of McGovern’s work, however. He also collaborated with contemporary brewers — Dogfish Head in particular — on modern concoctions that revived millennia-old recipes. McGovern also wrote about his discoveries; his 2017 book Ancient Brews: Rediscovered and Re-Created is both a tremendously enlightening read and one that might inspire you to engage in some homebrewing, or make a trip to your local beer store, shopping list in hand.

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In pursuing his forays into the past, McGovern also helped to demystify history. It can be all too easy to treat the past as a sterile place. In demonstrating that plenty of ancient people also enjoyed sitting back with a fermented beverage, he helped make their lives that much more accessible — and helped to make history a much more vibrant place.

Meet your guide

Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…