The earliest beers, made around 6000 B.C., probably tasted vastly different from what we today consider a quality brew
In lieu of a booze-soaked time machine, there's no way to know for sure what our ancestors chugged at Neolithic keggers. But thanks to new findings, a coalition of beer scientists and biological data analysts can make a pretty decent guess. In a paper, these scientifically-minded drinkers reported on the evolution of yeast and how various strains have affected the taste of beer over time.
"First and foremost, it was likely a bit sour," Verstrepen told us. Brewing during this period wasn't exactly sterile, so tangy lactic acid bacteria was likely to creep in. Verstrepen's research also showed that the earliest beer yeasts produced a compound known as 4VG, a "phenolic, spicy, cloves-like aroma that is unwanted in most beers today.
Verstrepen said that without a doubt, the very first beers were "spontaneous fermentation beers," meaning beers made with wild yeast already in the air. If you're curious to drink something similar to what your great-great-great...great granddad drank, he suggests lambic, an ancient Belgian brewing style that relies upon spontaneous fermentation and often made with fruits like sour cherry, raspberry, pear, and peach.
By the 1500s, beers were already much closer to what we drink today. Except for one thing: They were more tart than modern mainstream styles like lager and pilsner and closer in flavor to . "The sourness probably only completely disappeared with [completely] sterile techniques, the use of pure yeast cultures, and modern closed fermenters in the 1900s," said Verstrepen.
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