Ancient Beer

Fossil fueled beer? 45 million year-old yeast used to craft new ale

by Tina Kells | September 25, 2008 at 03:17 pm



You may want to call the Fossil Fuels Brewing Company's beers the mother of all ales; the company is crafting its German Lager and Pale Ale from 45 million year old yeast.

In a story straight from the movie Jurassic Park, Fossil Fuels Brewing Company extracts its special ingredient from ancient Burmese amber. But instead of the key to resurrecting dinosaurs, the amber contains a dormant yeast that hails back to the dawn-of-time.

That 45 million year-old yeast is now the cornerstone ingredient in a selection of modern era beer.

Trapped inside a Lebanese weevil covered in ancient Burmese amber, a tiny colony of bacteria and yeast has lain dormant for up to 45 million years. A decade ago Raul Cano, now a scientist at the California Polytechnic State University, drilled a tiny hole into the amber and extracted more than 2,000 different kinds of microscopic creatures.

Activating the ancient yeast, Cano now brews barrels (not bottles) of pale ale and German wheat beer through the Fossil Fuels Brewing Company.

"You can always buy brewing yeast, and your product will be based on the brewmaster's recipes," said Cano. "Our yeast has a double angle: We have yeast no one else has and our own beer recipes."