Brewing historical beer

A virtual exhibition

In September 2021, after several years of preparation, the FoodCult team recreated a beer last brewed in the sixteenth century. In Ireland and across early modern Europe, beer was integral to social life and a vital source of nutrition. But up to now we have had little sense of what that beer was like, how strong it really was, and how much energy it provided. By reconstructing the recipes, equipment, and techniques used at Dublin Castle four hundred years ago, FoodCult set out to answer these important questions.

This virtual exhibition will lead you through the project, from the rationale to the reconstruction to the results. It is organized in five chapters, which you can follow sequentially or by clicking on the individual links below.

FoodCult is grateful to all our research partners and our hosts for the project, the Weald and Downland Living Museum in West Sussex, UK. For photography, thank you to Robert Hoare, Ugne Jurgaityte, Marc Meltonville, Janet Montgomery, the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, Shreepali Patel, the University of Nottingham, and Warminster Maltings.