PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Delaware-based craft brewing company Dogfish Head is mourning the loss of its own scholar of suds, Dr. Pat McGovern.
McGovern led Penn Museum’s Biomolecular Archaeology Laboratory for Cuisine, Fermented Beverages, and Health, and studied crockery — shards of ancient earthenware — for organic residue to figure out what people drank long ago.
He became known as the “Indiana Jones of ancient alcohol,” a brilliant scholar of fermented beverages throughout history and around the world.
Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione relied on McGovern’s expertise for two decades, during which he collaborated with the brewery on its Ancient Ales series.
“We got to really travel the world together and became great friends, not just collaborators on these Ancient Ale projects,” Calagione said. “We were able to bring these liquid time capsules back to life and show modern drinkers that that tradition of being creative and being fearless with ingredients actually goes back thousands and thousands of years.”
Before they met, Calagione was already scouring old brewing journals for recipes. Crossing paths with an expert in the field was kismet.
Their collaboration began with Midas Touch, the first beer in the Ancient Ales series. Dogfish Head describes the brew: “This sweet yet dry beer is made with ingredients found in 2,700-year-old drinking vessels from the tomb of King Midas.”
Calagione said McGovern’s brilliance with beverages was fueled by appreciation.
“Someone whose passion for beer — the history of beer, the future of beer — was woven into what he did at work every day,” he added. “He was a great mix of erudite, scientific knowledge, [and] a modern-day, passionate craft beer evangelist.”
No matter the project, Calagione said McGovern poured himself into the work and let history float to the surface.
“His work captivated people’s imagination and made them think outside the box … on how important beer has been to the history of human civilization. … So it’s obviously with a very heavy heart that I’ll lift a pint glass toward Dr. Pat.”
McGovern died in late August. He was 78 years old.