Yes it sounds disgusting, but there's no health hazard because the mush is thoroughly boiled. Hundreds of people lined up at last month's Great American Beer Festival for a taste.
The ancient Peruvian brewing method is still practiced in some South American villages, but it's believed Dogfish Head's is the first commercially brewed chicha in the New World.
Dogfish Head is not the only one dabbling with long-forgotten recipes.
Craigmill Brewing in Scotland specializes in gruit, an old ale style that was prevalent in Europe before the use of hops became universal in the 16th century. Its beers are flavored with pine, blackberries and even seaweed.
At Cambridge Brewing in Massachusetts, brewer Will Meyers makes a Scottish ale flavored with heather flowers; it's a strong drink that Pict warriors might have fortified themselves with 4,000 years ago.
Fossil Fuels Brewing in California reaches back even further with a beer made from yeast extracted from a chunk of 45-million-year-old Burmese amber.
As with most things in beer, this step backward was pioneered by Fritz Maytag and San Francisco's Anchor Brewing, which produced a limited-edition beer called Ninkasi (the Sumerian goddess of beer). The recipe, containing twice-baked bread, dates and honey was based on a hymn found on a tablet dating to 1800 B.C.
The trend should get a boost this autumn with the release of Patrick McGovern's "Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Wine, Beer, and Other Alcoholic Beverages" (University of California Press, $29.95).
