Five things our research uncovered when we recreated 16th century beer (and barrels)

By Susan Flavin, Associate professor of history, Trinity College Dublin
Charlie Taverner, Research fellow, history, Trinity College Dublin

It’s true that our 16th-century ancestors drank much more than Irish people do today. But why they did so and what their beer was like are questions shrouded in myth. The authors were part of a team who set out to find some answers.

As part of a major study of food and drink in early modern Ireland, funded by the European Research Council, we recreated and analysed a beer last brewed at Dublin Castle in 1574. Combining craft, microbiology, brewing science, archaeology, as well…

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