A Beer for the Ages

Way back, 45 million years ago, a yeast called Saccharomyces cerevisiae curled up its toes and died. Embedded in a chunk of amber, it waited … and waited … until a researcher by the name of Raul Cano decided to attempt a Frankenstein-like reanimation.

Cano has reanimated prehistoric amber-bound bacteria, using a process involving DNA extraction and cloning. Now, he turned science to the work of reanimating yeast. As with the bacteria, Cano was successful. But unlike the bacteria, which have the potential to be medically useful, the yeast seemed to be good for nothing.

Except fermentation.

Enter Peter Hackett, a Northern California pub owner. Hackett had wild idea: Why not see if prehistoric yeast could be used to make beer?

And so it was that Fossil Fuels Brewing Company was born. The ale, brewed from ancient yeast, is apparently not bad at all. According to Wired, it "was light and crisp with a citrusy, gingery tang."

Like the idea of sampling a primordial brew?  You can pick up a bottle today, and get a taste of the ancient past.