Nothing goes better with archaeology then beer. Nothing.
Especially in Sardinia. The dry summer heat as you trowel the earth for itty bitty pieces of things ancient people futzed with while they were alive, called artifacts, will wring your soul right out of your body. There’s no cure except to head out to the nearest bar and down a cold Ichnusa immediately after your day in the field while grizzled shepherds look on in amazement, mostly because you are wearing shorts and they wouldn’t think of such a thing.
Of course, Ichnusa is a commercial beer, but a good one, like San Francisco’s Anchor Steam. Ichnusa is lighter, as befits the climate, but it’s as full of flavor and balanced as any good beer should be. I’ve been drinking it since 1982, when we participated in an archaeological survey of the island’s Nuraghi. Ichnusa recently celebrated 100 years of distributing suds to Sards.
But this isn’t about Ichnusa. This is about (mostly) artisinal beers, which will be celebrated at Birras 2012 on the 7th of July.
So, in those dark ages when we really didn’t have much more to drink than commercial beer, there’s now quite a selection of hand-made beers coming out of Sardinia.
Another thing celebrated at this festival is Birra senza glutine, beer without gluten like Green’s, also a rather new development since the 1980s.
I wish I could attend this festival. There will be of course music, roast sausages, and all the other things one associates with liquid bread and a hot day. Take a look at the website of Birras 2012 while I head to the fridge for a cold one.
Oh, and the festival is held in Miniere di Montevecchio outside of Guspini (CA). Here’s the map.