The experimental archaeologist Dr. Patrick McGovern, known casually as the “Indiana Jones of Ancient Ales, Wines, and Extreme Beverages,” and Sam Calagione, master brewer and founder of Dogfish Head Brewery, have spent years resurrecting the beverages of the past. In 2017, we sat down with them before an event at the Smithsonian to discuss what it takes to turn millennia-old booze samples at the bottom of a jug into mead fit for a king—or jiahu for an emperor—or tahenket for a pharaoh.

Go beyond the episode:

• Try not to spill any beer on your copy of Ancient Brews: Rediscovered and Re-Created
• Explore Dr. Pat’s work on the intoxicating science of alcohol at the University of Pennsylvania Museum
• Watch Patrick McGovern and Sam Calagione work on a recipe for a new ancient ale
• And if you’re in the area … pop over to Dogfish Head Brewery to check out what’s on tap

Tune in every week to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek.

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