Ancient Chinese pottery reveals 5,000-yr-old beer brew

MIAMI (AFP) — Residue on pottery from an archeological site has revealed the earliest evidence of beer brewing in China left from a 5,000year-old recipe, researchers said Monday.

The artifacts show that people of the era had already mastered an ''advanced beer brewing technique'' that contained elements from East and West, according to a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed US journal.

Yellowish residue gleaned from pottery funnels and wide-mouthed pots show traces of ingredients that had been fermented together -- broomcorn millet, barley, a chewy grain known as Job's tears, and tubers.

''The discovery of barley is a surprise,'' lead author Jiajing Wang of Stanford University told AFP, saying it is the earliest known sign of barley in archeological materials from China.

''This beer recipe indicates a mix of Chinese and Western traditions -- barley from the West; millet, Job's tears and tubers from China.''

The discovery indicates that barley made its way to China some 1,000 years earlier than previously believed.

The archaeological site at Mijiaya, near a tributary of the Wei River in northern China, includes two pits dating to around 3,400-2,900 BC.

It contains artifacts that point to beer brewing, filtration and underground storage, as well as stoves that may have been used to heat and mash grains.