Where Can I Get Some Good Nordic Grog?
According to "biomolecular archeologists", grog was a common drink 3,000 years ago in Scandinavia. Researchers collected residue samples from pottery shards, drinking vessels and strainers found at four different dig sites in southern Sweden and Denmark. A variety of chemical analysis techniques were used to determine that this residue was from a complex, fermented drink containing honey, bog cranberry, lingonberry, bog myrtle, yarrow, juniper, birch tree resin, and grains (wheat, barley and/or rye). Apparently, back around 1,500 BC, a roaring fire and a cup of grog helped Northern Europeans to stay warm during the long winter nights. Grog production slowly died out during the Roman Empire as trade increased and wine from Southern Europe became widely available. Specialty brewer Dogfish Head recently crafted a brew with similar ingredients to the old-fashioned grog which they call Kvasir: http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/occasional-rarities/kvasir/index.htm
