verum et de apparatu vini dixisse conveniat, cum graeci privatim ea praecepta condiderint artemque fecerint, sicut euphronius et aristomachus et commiades et hicesius. africa gypso mitigat asperitatem nec non aliquibus partibus sui calce. graecia argilla aut marmore aut sale aut mari lenitatem excitat, italiae pars aliqua crapulana pice, ac resina condire musta volgare ei est provinciisque finitimis. nonnusquam prioris vini faece acetove condiunt.
It is now the time to assemble the things that have been said about the preparation of wine, since the Greeks, like Euphronius, Aristomachus, Commiades, and Hicesius, have individually written treatises on this topic and have made an art of it. In Africa, they mitigate the harshness [of wine] with gypsum, not unlike in other parts [as they do] with lime. In Greece, they make [the wine] sharper with potter’s clay, marble, salt, or sea water. In some parts of Italy, they achieve this with brown pitch, and it is common there and in the neighboring provinces to temper the must with resin. Sometimes, they temper it with wine-lees or vinegar.
Background
We have encountered Pliny several times before (See previous posts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). This book, Book 14, relates to wine and the vine.
Commentary
Admittedly, this passage is not directly related to ancient beer. However, it provides a unique insight into the use of water treatments for fermented beverages in antiquity. I am by no means an expert on brewing water, but the described additions are startlingly similar to those used by contemporary brewers. For instance, gypsum – as used in ancient African wine-preparation – is used now in the brewing of beer and wine. According to J. Palmer’s How to Brew, gypsum is often used to correct low sulfate levels and “to add sulfate ‘crispness’ to the hop bitterness” (2006, 166). The additions of lime and other salts mentioned elsewhere in this passage also have contemporary parallels. Certainly, readers are welcome to elaborate upon my now rudimentary understanding of water chemistry, but I highlight this passage because it makes it clear that fermented liquids were treated by non-food and inorganic materials to achieve desired and nuanced flavors. Fermentation in antiquity (even in so-called “barbarian regions”), thus, was not rudimentary or limited by a small range of ingredients. It also suggests the potential use of such water adjustments for ancient beers, as well – especially because the inhabitants of Africa and “the neighboring provinces” of Italy also produced beer.
Author’s Note
Pliny the Elder (23-79 CE)
Bibliography
Palmer, J.J. 2006. How to Brew. 3rd edition. Boulder, CO: Brewers Publications.
Image Source
Wikimedia Commons. “Water carrier from the Nile” Travelers in the Middle East Archive, from the collection of Dr. Paula Saners, Rice University. CC BY-SA 2.5
BREWING CLASSICAL STYLES 
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