Beer History 101: Ninkasi

An artist's sketch recreation of the original clay
tablet... these Sumerians look pretty happy

One of the earliest records of beer in human civilization appears in the clay tablets depicting the Sumerian written language… specifically a poem entitled “Hymn to Ninkasi.” The poem, which was written around 1800 BC, is essentially a recipe for making beer. A translation from the University of Oxford describes combining bread, a source for yeast, with malted and soaked grains and keeping the liquid in a fermentation vessel until finally filtering it into a collecting vessel.

Ninkasi was the ancient Sumerian matron goddess of beer. According to Sumerian legends, she was born of sparkling fresh water and made to satisfy the desire and sate the heart by daily preparing beer. As far as deities go, it sounds like she was pretty useful to have around. Read for yourself:

Hymn to Ninkasi

Borne of the flowing water,

Tenderly cared for by the Ninhursag,

Borne of the flowing water,

Tenderly cared for by the Ninhursag,

Having founded your town by the sacred lake,

She finished its great walls for you,

Ninkasi, having founded your town by the sacred lake,

She finished it's walls for you,

Your father is Enki, Lord Nidimmud,

Your mother is Ninti, the queen of the sacred lake.

Ninkasi, your father is Enki, Lord Nidimmud,

Your mother is Ninti, the queen of the sacred lake.

You are the one who handles the dough [and] with a big shovel,

Mixing in a pit, the bappir with sweet aromatics,

Ninkasi, you are the one who handles the dough [and] with a big shovel,

Mixing in a pit, the bappir with [date] - honey,

You are the one who bakes the bappir in the big oven,

Puts in order the piles of hulled grains,

Ninkasi, you are the one who bakes the bappir in the big oven,

Puts in order the piles of hulled grains,

You are the one who waters the malt set on the ground,

The noble dogs keep away even the potentates,

Ninkasi, you are the one who waters the malt set on the ground,

The noble dogs keep away even the potentates,

You are the one who soaks the malt in a jar,

The waves rise, the waves fall.

Ninkasi, you are the one who soaks the malt in a jar,

The waves rise, the waves fall.

You are the one who spreads the cooked mash on large reed mats,

Coolness overcomes,

Ninkasi, you are the one who spreads the cooked mash on large reed mats,

Coolness overcomes,

You are the one who holds with both hands the great sweet wort,

Brewing [it] with honey [and] wine

(You the sweet wort to the vessel)

Ninkasi, (...)(You the sweet wort to the vessel)

The filtering vat, which makes a pleasant sound,

You place appropriately on a large collector vat.

Ninkasi, the filtering vat, which makes a pleasant sound,

You place appropriately on a large collector vat.

When you pour out the filtered beer of the collector vat,

It is [like] the onrush of Tigris and Euphrates.

Ninkasi, you are the one who pours out the filtered beer of the collector vat,

It is [like] the onrush of Tigris and Euphrates.

Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing - The father of
modern microbreweries

Using the above text, one could literally recreate the ancient recipe embedded within the poem. In fact, back in the early 1990s, Fritz Maytag of Anchor Brewing in San Francisco, CA and Dr. Solomon Katz of the University of Pennsylvania made craft-brewing history by reproducing the brew on the ancient clay tablet. The resulting beer was served in bulky clay jugs with lengthy drinking straws – just like the Sumerians used to do.

Here’s to craft-brewed happiness (and ancient beer goddesses)… Cheers!