Dogfish Head Brewpub Exclusive: Pulque (Video)

Join Dogfish Head Founder and President

Sam Calagione and

University of Pennsylvania

Museum biomolecular

archaeologist Dr. Patrick

McGovern on a heady tour of

New and Old World traditions

of fermented beverage-making,

including the possible

beginnings of distillation in

pre-Hispanic times in Mexico.

The pair, whose World Science

Festival session is 7-8:30 p.m.

May 28 at Liberty Hall of the

Ace Hotel in Manhattan, will

be discussing and tasting their

first Ancient Ale (Midas

Touch,) their most ancient

chemically attested re-creation

from China (Chateau Jiahu),

and a Nordic “grog”

(Kvasir). They then travel to

the New World to sample a

modern interpretation of an

Archaic-period beverage: a

naturally fermented “pulque.”

They’ll also discuss the earliest

distilled beverage in the

world, a “mezcal” distilled

from the pulque.

“Early humans, who arrived from east Asia across the Bering Strait, were chewing

on and probably making naturally fermented beverages from New World plants

including agave, hog plum, chile, guava, maize prickly pear and others as early as

10,000 years ago at the beginning of the Archaic period,” Dr. Pat says.

His recent research focuses on the beginnings of distillation. Chemical analyses of

ancient double-chambered pottery jars, from burials in Colima, Mexico, dating to

as early as 1500 B.C., are now in progress, using solid phase microextraction and

gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Biomarkers for agave and other native

American plants, which were likely naturally fermented initially, are sought and

compared with the results from modern replica pottery vessels in which agave was

distilled. Preliminary results suggest that agave was distilled in the ancient vessels

to make a “mezcal.” More ancient vessels need to be analyzed before it can be said

that these are the earliest distillation vessels ever discovered, predating the arrival

of the Spanish and Filipinos by nearly 3,000 years, who brought the Mediterranean

and Asian traditions of stills with them.

Armed with Dr. Pat’s chemical, archaeobotanical, archaeological and

ethnohistorical findings and more than 15 years of experience resurrecting ancient

fermented beverages, Dogfish created modern interpretations of an early Archaic

pulque and two late Archaic pulque-based spirits or mezcals.

“Combining the best research available and our access to off-centered ingredients,

we set out to create three liquid time capsules,” Calagione says. “According to

early Spanish chroniclers, the ancient Aztec god for pulque is Ometochtli.

Ometochtli means ‘two-rabbit’ in ancient Aztec, and he was often represented as a

rabbit. Pulque was ceremonially served in double-headed rabbit jars, and drunk

with long reed straws. The name stuck, and we chose ‘Two-Rabbit’ to represent

our modern versions of the ancient beverages.”

To re-create the pulque, Sam and Dr. Pat mashed and fermented a combination of

agave syrup, prickly pear, guava fruit, jalapeño chiles smoked and dried over

mesquite wood as chipotle, mesquite pods and chewed maize (compliments of Sam

and his Dogfish co-workers).

Two-Rabbit Pulque, which was fermented with a cocktail of wild yeasts, has an

aroma filled with citrus, berries, pear and jam, with hints of smoke and pepper as it

warms. The taste is fruity before notes of cocoa and nuts take over, then finishes

with a bit of heat from the pepper.

The two Archaic mezcal re-creations were done on Dogfish Head’s pilot distillery.

Using the Two-Rabbit Pulque as the starting ferment, or wash, Dogfish ran a single

pass on its 200-gallon pot still. The result is a spirit with subtle smoked grains and

hot pepper on the nose, backed by sweet fruit with undertones of bubblegum and

pear. The taste is smoky up front, like traditional mezcal done over an open fire,

with a mid-palate of corn (think unaged bourbon). It finishes with a lingering sweet

richness from the corn and fruit, while a mild heat from the peppers cuts through.

Dogfish bottled Two-Rabbit Spirit at a lower 60 proof to mimic its ancient cousin,

which would have been unable to reach higher alcohol levels.

Native domesticated fruits and other natural products are to be expected in an

Archaic beverage. They provided additional sugars and special tastes, offsetting

any harsh flavors from a more “primitive,” less controlled distillation. Even today

in Mexico, all kinds of traditional fruits and spices are added to pulque (curado)

and to a more limited extent to mezcal (pechuga). By contrast, modern refined

tequila and even traditional mezcal are more specialized, purer spirits.

To come even closer to what native Americans might have created in their double-chambered jars at Colima, Dogfish then produced a second version of this extreme

spirit by further macerating and aging the distillate on prickly pear and

agave. Prickly pear and guava flavors take center stage in this second spirit, with

more nuanced base flavors. The abundant sugars from the fruit help mask the heat

of the spirit. Two-Rabbit Spirit Fruta is also bottled at 60 proof.

Two-Rabbit Pulque will only be available at the World Science Fair session and in

limited release at Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats in Rehoboth Beach, Del. A

limited amount of Two-Rabbit Spirit and Two-Rabbit Spirit Fruta will be served at

the Delaware brewpub.

Details

What: Cheers to Science

When: 7-8:30 p.m. May 28

Where: Liberty Hall – Ace Hotel, 20 W. 29th St., New York, NY

Tickets: $50-$100, worldsciencefestival.com