This Porter-Style Ale Is Made With 220-Year-Old Shipwreck Yeast

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Beer can’t get more nostalgic than this.

Australian brewers are making a beer from 220-year-old yeast that was found on the Sydney Cove shipwreck. Dubbed The Wreck Preservation Ale, this centuries-old beer has been given new life, thanks to Australian brewer James Squire.

The Wreck comes in the form of a dark, malty, spicy porter-style ale with an ABV of 6 percent. Available on tap only, the historic pint falls on the funky side. (It’s hard not to be funky with 220-year-old yeast.) It has spicy notes that are matched with chocolate, roast, crystal and abbey malts. You’ll also find hints of lemon and blackcurrant.

A limited supply of The Wreck will be available at GABS Melbourne (Great Australian Beer Spectapular), which is an annual craft beer and cider festival that celebrates the wide spectrum of Australia’s brewing industry. Come June, The Wreck will be available at all locations of James Squire brewhouses around Austraila.

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The yeast for The Wreck was found inside of sealed glass bottles aboard the wrecked Australian ship. According to the James Squire website, an initial analysis of these glass bottles detected grapes, port wine and beer, making it the oldest bottled alcohol on record.

Between the secure corkage and cool ocean temperatures, the contents of these bottles were preserved. Through a process of trial and error, brewers were able to tame this historic yeast and create an ale that could embody all of the original characteristics of the alcohol and bring it to life for today’s craft beer lovers to enjoy.

Time to get buzzed off of Australian history!

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