Biblical Beer
Itai Gutman, owner of Herzl Brewery which produced a craft beer from wheat that Tel Aviv University geneticists identified as the strain used for beer in the Holy Land two millennia ago, works at the brewery in Jerusalem April 18, 2016. Reuters/Ronen Zvulun

Herzl Brewery in Jerusalem is proud to have recreated a beer that Jesus Christ and his disciples may have had two millennia ago in the Holy Land. Itai Gutman, the owner of the brewery, took wheat from Tel Aviv University geneticists. This wheat strain was the grown during Christ’s time. This “biblical” beer is a craft beer has three percent alcohol content.

According to Reuters, the beer also has a hint of berries and honey in the flat, cloudy nectar. However, a sip will quickly reveal why wine is the sacred drink in Bible and not this beer. Gutman produced 20 litres of this Jerusalem beer from five kilograms of wheat donated by the university. Traditional ingredients of water, yeast and hops were also added.

It took the brewery six months to make the beer taste exactly like the biblical times. Although Gutman and his friends have finished most of the produce, one bottle remains. However, they are not planning to make more. This is because its taste is not suitable to modern taste buds and the beer won’t find a lot of buyers.

“We were curious about being able to come up with the first 'biblical' beer. It's really not the kind of flavour that has a market,” Gutman said.

Even though wine is the sacred drink in both Christianity and Judaism till date and is mentioned in the scriptures, it is highly likely that Jesus and his disciples would have been familiar with beer. As per the Jewish Museum in Munich, ancient Israelites brought this “biblical” beer to the sacred land from Egypt.

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