Experts Make Exciting Discovery of the First 'British Beer' With Fragments of 2,000-Year-Old Charred Residue
Around six years ago, researchers uncovered the earliest evidence of beer brewing in England. The discovery was made during improvement work on the A14 route between Cambridge and Huntingdon, BBC reported. According to archeologists the site contained all the "tell-tale signs of the Iron Age brew" which could date back as far as 400 B.C.
Experts were working on road improvements when they unearthed tiny fragments of charred residue on the route, the Independent reported. On examination, it was revealed that the traces were from an ancient beer-making process.
The finding aligned with what experts knew regarding the history of brew-making. "It’s a well-known fact that ancient populations used the beer-making process to purify water and create a safe source of hydration," said Dr Steve Sherlock, Highways England’s archeology lead for the A14 expansion.
Evidence of beer-making being used to purify waters has been found in many parts of the world but the 2019 discovery was "potentially" one of the first such traces to appear in the U.K.
Archeologist Lara Gonzalez uncovered the brew-making traces. "I knew when I looked at these tiny fragments under the microscope that I had something special," she said. Gonzalez claimed that the fragments looked like bread but piqued interest because it showcased "evidence of fermentation" and contained "larger pieces of cracked grains and bran, but no fine flour."
Lara, our #MOLAHeadland archaebotanist, has uncovered the earliest physical evidence of beer making in Britain on @A14C2H dating back over 2000 years. Read all about it here: https://t.co/eiMyTUdTWy pic.twitter.com/TgdLgSCK0p
— Headland Archaeology (@HeadlandArchUK) January 31, 2019
During analysis of the traces the microstructure and the presence of air bubbles were found similar to what is commonly observed during the brew-making process. This made researchers conclude that they had proof of ancient beer-making on their hands.
Further investigation revealed that the traces were more than 2000 years old. Researchers were glad to uncover something so 'important' in the context of the region's history.
"It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack but, as an archaeobotanist, it’s incredibly exciting to identify remains of this significance and to play a part in uncovering the fascinating history of the Cambridgeshire landscape," Gonzalez said.