This article is adapted from the December 4, 2021, edition of Gastro Obscura’s Favorite Things newsletter. You can sign up here. One recent afternoon, I found myself sitting in the Penn Museum café in Philadelphia, surrounded by students. Some were clicking away on laptops, others were discussing exhibits they’d just visited with friends. I was alone, drinking a strong beer.Instead of visiting the museum to see priceless ancient objects, I came solely for this ale. But this particular beer was also an artifact of sorts, based on the actual brew…
