Tomb of Ancient Egypt's Brewer to the Gods is Found

Peter Shadbolt needs some education in beer marketing. He writes, "Imagine a warm brew of lager so heady you had to plunge a straw through the thick surface scum to get to the fermented liquor below."

Actually, he's describing beer brewed in ancient Egypt.

Jiro Kondo of Waseda University and his team discovered the tomb of ancient beer-maker Khonso Em Heb (also the the royal storehouses during the pharaonic Ramesside period 1500-1700 years ago).

Professor Poo Mun Chou, a leading Egyptologist at Hong Kong's Chinese University said, "Alcohol in ancient Egypt was very important -- not just in terms of daily consumption but also as an offering to deities. Beer, in particular was very important. Beer during the New Kingdom period was probably one-fifth or even one-tenth the price of wine making it a very popular drink for people of all social strata."

Professor Poo (stop giggling) went on to add that we might not recognize it as beer, with it's frothy head of grain and yeast, but it would be bubbly.