Barley, Malt and Ale in the Neolithic

Description

This book studies the probable methods of maltsters and brewers in the Neolithic, based on experimental and scientific methods. It describes the biochemical and practical aspects of processing grain into sweet malts and ale on a domestic scale, with illustrations of the reconstructive experimental work undertaken in mashing, making barley ‘cakes’, obtaining the sweet wort from the mash and fermenting, and investigates the potential addition of hops. The author considers the earliest grain gatherers and processors of the 9th millennium BC, and evaluates some of the archaeological evidence for these processes in Europe, from the 4th to the 3rd millennium. The work also offers an analysis of the well preserved stone buildings of the Orcadian Neolithic and assesses the Grooved Ware culture of mainland Britain and its potential for transforming grain into sweet malts and ale. The role of women as grain cultivators and processors is also considered.