Scientific research of ancient pottery shards reveals evidence of rice beer brewing in Zhejiang province

Evidence of East Asia’s earliest rice beer production has recently been reported in a China Academy of Sciences research paper. According to the paper, an analysis of pottery shards revealed the use of 10,000-year-old fermentation techniques at Shangshan in East China’s Zhejiang province.

The study shows that in the early stages of rice domestication, communities from the Shangshan culture used pottery, particularly small-mouthed jars, to brew rice beer by using Monascus mold as the primary saccharification agent.

This brewing technique was well-suited to the warm and humid climate of the early Holocene period, according to the research. Domesticated rice provided a stable resource for fermentation, and the favourable climate conditions supported the fungal growth needed for the development of alcohol fermentation technologies.

The pottery fragments examined were found to contain starch grains from various plants such as rice, coix, and acorns. Many starch grains revealed signs of enzymatic hydrolysis and gelatinization, suggesting fermentation processes.

Researchers also identified a significant presence of fungi such as Monascus and yeast cells. These fungi are closely related to those used in traditional Chinese brewing methods, where Monascus mold is a key ingredient in the production of red yeast rice beer.

The unique cultural significance of rice beer in playing a role in ritual feasting; providing a medium for social interaction; and a means of communication with deities, may have been a driving force behind the widespread cultivation, use, and dissemination of rice across Neolithic China, suggest the scientists.