In 2010, a collection of 19th century beer bottles was discovered off the coast of Finland. The bottles came from a shipwreck, and after laying 50 meters under the water since 1842, Belgian scientists have been eager to decode both the drink’s origin and ingredients.
By studying the microorganisms in the bottles, scientist were able to not only trace the beer back to Belgium, but also determine which types of yeast and bacteria used in the 19th century brewery the beer originated from.
After many years of reconstruction work, Finland’s Stallhagen brewery is ready to market an accurate recreation of the shipwrecked beer, gearing up to mass-produce the 172-year-old beverage for about $140 a bottle.
With an alcohol content of only 4.7%, this beer is much sweeter than modern brews because of the way the malt was (and is) produced. Although the taste profile is closer to wine than beer, this champagne-like brew offers consumers a taste of history and tradition—who wouldn’t be into that?
So what do you think—will you be sipping on any of this “shipwrecked” beer?