Yeast from 1886 shipwreck makes new brew

Not Again (Oh, wait - I already said that about the most recent Yeast/Shipwreck thread.

 

Can’t decide if my next thread should be “Are Shipwreck Beers a Fad, or Here to Stay?” or “Is Shipwreck Yeast the Next Brut IPA?”

 

jesskidden you are better than this! One of my favorite contributors of all time. I love history and have often imagined what people in the past were drinking. From the Phoenicians and Egyptians to 19th century sailors. If we can use science to replicate beers from the past I think we should and I for one would be more than curious to try one! Where is your sense of adventure and appreciation for history?

 

I'm gonna start a new super hype brewery where I fake a bunch of shipwrecks so I can make a whole bunch of 'recreations'.
Might even stash some sealed barrels on some so I can sell some 20$ an ounce "aged" beers.
Any investors?

 

Trolls should stay under the bridge

 

well duh, where do you think I'm gonna stage the shipwrecks?

 

All I can say is that of the shipwreck beers that I've tasted I've never been impressed or really though there was much difference in yeast character from what you might normally find.

To address the idea of recreating what once was, and this beer specifically, if you look at Ron Pattison's records for some of the beers made in England long ago, a lot of them use a heavy amount of sugar and IMHO they probably didn't taste that great even back then. I know, I'll get back under the bridge.

 

They didn't taste that great because they would have been too dry?

Cheers!

 

Just lacking grain flavor because, keep in mind, these were mostly lower gravity/alcohol as well. Additionally, and we'll never know the answer to this, how well were they brewed. Another thing to think about is, when they're isolating this yeast and re-brewing with it are they also isolating and using ALL of the yeasts that might be in there (Brett?), and bacteria? Or is it kind of selective?

 

And the concept that these beers are "the same" as the found beers brewed decades/centuries ago ignores the fact that the brewers don't usually have the original recipes, nor access to the original strains of hops or barley, the latter of which is not likely to be malted in the same manner of that made in the 19th or 18th century. And they are not brewing or fermenting in the same sorts of equipment nor using the same processes as the older beers.

 

It has something to do with Flag Porter.