Ancient Beer Discovery Hints China Had 'Advanced Brewing' 5,000 Years Ago

China was home to 'advanced beer-brewing' techniques 5,000 years ago, a new study suggests, and it may have been the reason barley was imported and established in the region. Researchers have reached their conclusion based on the analysis of pottery vessel remnants with ancient beer residue inside; this ancient beer recipe includes millet, Job's tears, tubers, and barley in the ingredients.The study, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, details the residue found in pottery containers that, based on their shape, were most likely used to brew beer. The pottery was discovered in central China, and have been dated back to about 5,000 years. Within the pottery was residue that, at one time, was beer.

The aforementioned ingredients were brewed together, according to the study; the researchers say their analysis indicates that China had "advanced beer-brewing" thousands of years ago, and that barley was brought from Western Eurasia into China's Central Plain for the purpose of brewing, only later on being part of the nation's subsistence agriculture a couple thousand years later.

This isn't the first booze-related discovery, of course. In 2013, for example, it was announced that archaeologists had discovered a wine cellar in northern Israel, a region that was the ancient Canaanite city called Tel Kabri. While we're on the subject, check out this chimp getting drunk for the sake of science.

Image via Science Magazine