Sam Calagione traveled to Peru in order to track down an ancient recipe for brewing early South American beer. Chicha, an Inca ritualistic beer, is made from maze and other spices indigenous to the region. Chica is a a good example of what beer was, opposed to what we are used to drinking today. The brewing process is similar to modern day, with a slight twist. Chicha has been known to be made by actually chewing the corn instead of grinding. There is an actual chemical reaction that occurs when human sylavia is mixed with the corn. "Spit" contains an enzyme that can breakdown corn starches into sugars. This process usually happens during normal mashing. Although this is not a required method in making Chicha, it is the desired path that Dogfish Head owner, Sam, chose.
This is the second time the New England brewery has made Chicha. The first time only called for 7 pounds of chewed mash. This time the recipe called for 40 pounds. Sam called on the support of his unique staff to make this happen. The support did come with hesitation as the employees multitasked an entire day, completing their normal jobs while holding a spit cup.
In the end, the brewery came up shy of their 40 pound goal. Making up the rest of the mash with barley, a requirement for any micro brewery in the U.S., and the unique spices bought from Peru, the beer debuted at Dogfish Head's pub with mixed, positive reactions.
Brew Masters on Discovery Channel
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