Did Isaac Newton use beer to write his theory of gravity? What new study says

Beer and ink: A scientific tradition

Professor Stephen Snobelen of Dalhousie University and King’s College, Halifax, who has researched Newton’s personal beer flagon for two decades, suggests the physicist likely used this ink for his groundbreaking 1687 work, Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica.

“Although chemical analysis of the ink in Newton’s voluminous manuscript corpus has yet to be carried out, many 17th-century authors used beer as a solvent in their home-made writing ink,” Snobelen said, as per The Telegraph. “Newton’s two surviving ink recipes confirm that he followed in this craft, at least while he was at Cambridge.”

‘Holy Relic’ of Newton’s beer mug

Professor Snobelen and biologist Carmichael Wallace have meticulously traced the history of Newton’s personal beer mug. According to The Telegraph, “The mug was venerated by the Wickins and Hussey-Freke families because it was owned by Newton,” Snobelen said. “It was a kind of holy relic.”

Originally gifted by Newton to his longtime roommate and assistant, John Wickins, the wooden flagon has been displayed three times over the past centuries—the most recent being 160 years ago. It is now set to go on display again at the Royal Society.

Did Newton drink the beer he wrote with?

While Newton’s use of beer as an ink ingredient is now documented, the study also hints at his relationship with the drink itself. “Whether Newton imbibed beer from this surviving flagon while composing his innovative works of science will have to remain in the realm of the imagination,” the authors wrote in the research, as reported by The Telegraph.

However, Newton is known to have occasionally consumed ale with meals and even inquired about the best apple varieties for cider.

As for whether his Principia Mathematica was truly written in beer-based ink, the authors conclude, “Chemical analysis might in the future be able to confirm through organic residues what is implied by the ink recipes quoted here: that Newton’s great work Principia Mathematica was written in beer.”

(With inputs from The Telegraph)