beer – Excerpted

Whereas barley beer and beer goddesses reigned supreme in the lowlands of Egypt and Mesopotamia, wine was the preferred fermented beverage in the upland regions of the southern Levant. The Holy Land is where two of the world’s major religions – Judaism and Christianity – originated, and their holy writings (“scriptures”) are a testament to the centrality of wine in faith and practice.

15 November 2020 Drew KaplanBeer

Whereas barley beer and beer goddesses reigned supreme in the lowlands of Egypt and Mesopotamia, wine was the preferred fermented beverage in the upland regions of the southern Levant. The Holy Land is where two[…]

Cultivated Crops during the Time of the Babylonian Talmud

31 October 2018 Drew KaplanBabylonian Talmud

As in earlier periods, the staple crops were wheat, barley and dates. A daily grain market is referred to at Nehardea (Avodah Zarah 38b) and the twin towns of Hini and Shili, somewhere near Sura,[…]

“…the Israelites departed from Egypt, a country where this bread-beer was the only obtainable or national alcoholic luxury, to the land flowing with milk, honey, and wine…”

21 March 2018 Drew KaplanBeer

…the Israelites departed from Egypt, a country where this bread-beer was the only obtainable or national alcoholic luxury, to the land flowing with milk, honey, and wine: instead of poverty-stricken slaves, they became a free[…]

“…the words in Exodus xii. 19, “that which is leavened,” which in Hebrew are rendered מַחְמֶצֶת, or machmetzeth, was a beer similar to the modern Egyptian paste or bread beer…”

21 March 2018 Drew KaplanBeer

…I contend that the words in Exodus xii. 19, “that which is leavened,” which in Hebrew are rendered מַחְמֶצֶת, or machmetzeth, was a beer similar to the modern Egyptian paste or bread beer (Boosa), now[…]

“…the substance now rendered as “that which is leavened” (Exodus xii. 19) was, in reality, the Hebrew beer…”

21 March 2018 Drew KaplanBeer

…the substance now rendered as “that which is leavened” (Exodus xii. 19) was, in reality, the Hebrew beer, a substance resembling the present Arab bread-beer Boosa, a fermented and eatable paste of the consistency of[…]

“Iron Age sites in Israel have recently produced numerous remains, such as beer jugs and bottles, straw-tip strainers and donut-shaped fermentation stoppers, all of which provide evidence of Israelite beer drinking”

14 March 201813 March 2018 Drew KaplanBeer

Iron Age sites in Israel have recently produced numerous remains, such as beer jugs and bottles, straw-tip strainers and donut-shaped fermentation stoppers, all of which provide evidence of Israelite beer drinking. Fermentation stoppers were used[…]

“To be effective, critical coverage of “bad” beer needs to be well-considered and constructive…”

6 March 20182 March 2018 Drew KaplanBeer

To be effective, critical coverage of “bad” beer needs to be well-considered and constructive, rather than incisive and extempore. There is a lot of anxiety about how a brewer or business owner will react to[…]

“What explains the nature of the craft-beer boom?”

25 January 201824 January 2018 Drew KaplanBeer

…what explains the nature of the craft-beer boom? From several interviews with economists and beer-industry experts, I’ve gathered that there appear to be two big reasons—a straightforward cause and a more complex and interesting history.[…]

“…while ‘strong drink’ remains the most frequent English translation of שֵׁכָר, confusion about its identity persists”

13 September 201711 September 2017 Drew KaplanAlcoholic Drinks

Today, while ‘strong drink’ remains the most frequent English translation of שֵׁכָר, confusion about its identity persists. The problem of rendering שֵׁכָר into English is best exemplified by the JPS translation of the Hebrew Bible,[…]

“Archaeological evidence of beer-making is often hard to come by because most of the tools used in beer production…are often linked to bread-making…”

16 July 201713 July 2017 Drew KaplanArchaeology

Archaeological evidence of beer-making is often hard to come by because most of the tools used in beer production — such as mortars, querns and winnowing baskets—are often linked to bread-making, and the possible connection[…]

Excerpted

Excerpts of Interest

Tag: beer

Cultivated Crops during the Time of the Babylonian Talmud

“…the Israelites departed from Egypt, a country where this bread-beer was the only obtainable or national alcoholic luxury, to the land flowing with milk, honey, and wine…”

“…the words in Exodus xii. 19, “that which is leavened,” which in Hebrew are rendered מַחְמֶצֶת, or machmetzeth, was a beer similar to the modern Egyptian paste or bread beer…”

“…the substance now rendered as “that which is leavened” (Exodus xii. 19) was, in reality, the Hebrew beer…”

“Iron Age sites in Israel have recently produced numerous remains, such as beer jugs and bottles, straw-tip strainers and donut-shaped fermentation stoppers, all of which provide evidence of Israelite beer drinking”

“To be effective, critical coverage of “bad” beer needs to be well-considered and constructive…”

“What explains the nature of the craft-beer boom?”

“…while ‘strong drink’ remains the most frequent English translation of שֵׁכָר, confusion about its identity persists”

“Archaeological evidence of beer-making is often hard to come by because most of the tools used in beer production…are often linked to bread-making…”