Bier uit de haven: Wie drinkt 120 jaar oud Canadees bier?
An amateur scuba diver has recovered a bottle from the bottom of Halifax harbour that could contain beer that is more than a century old.
And there's a possibility, though slim, the ancient brew could be drinkable.
After Jon Crouse pulled the green glass bottle from the billowing silt beneath three metres of 10 C water, he discovered its cork was intact and it was half full of a cloudy, sudsy liquid.
Crouse later spotted a logo on the side of the cork, which can be seen through the side of the bottle's neck. It says, "A. Keith & Son Brewery," the previous name of the now famous Halifax-based Alexander Keith's brewing company, which opened in the early 1820s.
"This Keith's bottle will be the highlight of my collection," says Crouse. "I was told by the head guy at Keith's that it probably wouldn't be advisable to (drink from it). But there's a part of me that's curious."
Still, if the murky fluids circulating at the harbour's bottom haven't penetrated the cork, the beer inside would be drinkable, says Chris Reynolds, co-owner of Stillwell, a local bar devoted to craft beer.The alcohol in the beer and the anti-microbial nature of the hops used to make the brew would protect it from poisonous pathogens, he says. "Ninety-nine per cent of beer gets stale, but it doesn't become poisonous," Reynolds says. "I think I would be willing to try it. If it is straight up beer from back then, everything we know says that it should be drinkable." But in all likelihood, it would taste awful.(www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/it-s-an-import-bottle-of-1800-s-beer-found-in-halifax-harbour-1.2675742)
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Macintosh said the beer shared similar characteristics with modern Keith's, including a 4.3 on the pH scale (beers typically range between four and five).
It also registered a 15 on the International Bitterness Units scale, which Macintosh said is higher than what is found in many industrial, large-scale production lagers.
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The bottle from the "Alexander Keith" brewery was nearly full when a diver recovered it from the bottom of the Atlantic in November. It was brewed in Halifax sometime between 1872 and 1890, just a few years after the birth of the Canadian Confederation in 1867, according to the team that studied it. Andrew MacIntosh, who carried out the tests with colleagues at Dalhousie University in Halifax, said they determined the bottle's age by its construction and inscriptions on its cap.
Tests indicated that the liquid had a low pH, that it still contained alcohol and was not toxic, he told AFP. "It's not good. Beers don't age well, especially in the bottom of the ocean," said MacIntosh, an expert on fermentation who took a sip of it. He said the beer gave off a whiff of sulfur, as well as a burnt scent. "On the palate, there is an odd minty flavor which I presume is from nitrogen, there is also some salt and a surprising amount of bitterness," he said (http://news.yahoo.com/bottle-canadian-beer-still-drinkable-120-years-researcher). Beer does not age like wine. Don’t go drinking random bottles you find in the harbour.” (www.dal.ca/news/2016/01/08/new-year--old-beer--dal-prof-helps-test-century-old-brew.html). Het nieuws was erg mediageniek en ook op nu.nl en bij bier.blog.nl kwam het nieuws te staan alsof MacIntosch zelf de herkomst van de fles had ontdekt en dat hij de smaak had beoordeeld.... Het verhaal had wel wat meer om het lijf.
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Dr. MacIntosh, from the Department of Process Engineering and Applied Science, has been answering media calls from around the world after helping test a long-lost bottle of Alexander Keith’s beer discovered at the bottom of Halifax’s Northwest Arm this fall. The unopened bottle dates back to the 1800s.
“It was far more attention than I expected” says Dr. MacIntosh. “For some reason this is a story that has really taken off. We’ve been in contact with Canadian Press, this morning we chatted with Global News on their breakfast show and [the Discovery Channel TV show] Daily Planet will be airing their segment [in an upcoming episode].” [zie hier de CTV reportage]
The Daily Planet visit, which happened while the tests were taking place, was particularly exciting for Dr. MacIntosh, as he grew up watching the show when it used to be called Discovery CA. “It was quite a pleasure to move from them inspiring me as a kid to working with them now.”
(www.dal.ca/news/2016/01/08/new-year--old-beer--dal-prof-helps-test-century-old-brew.html)
De onderzoeker Andrew MacIntosh van Dalhousie University in Halifax heeft bier getest dat meer dan 120 jaar geleden werd gebrouwen en op de bodem van de oceaan werd aangetroffen. Het bier was "drinkbaar", maar bitter, "en niet erg lekker", stelt de onderzoeker. Het bier had volgens MacIntosh een bittere en zoute smaak, met een vleugje mint.
Het bier, gebrouwen tussen 1872 en 1890 in de Canadese Alexander Keith-brouwerij, werd volgens AFP in november door duikers gevonden op de bodem van de Atlantische Oceaan. Door de constructie van het flesje en de inscripties [op de (kroon)kurk] te bestuderen, konden wetenschappers vaststellen dat het bier werd gebrouwen kort na de stichting van Canada, in 1867 (www.nu.nl/opmerkelijk/4194678/wetenschapper-drinkt-120-jaar-oud-canadees-bier.html).
Alexander Keith's is a Belgian-owned Canadian brewery founded in 1820 in Halifax, Nova Scotia making it one of the oldest commercial breweries in all of North America.[citation needed] It was founded by Alexander Keith who emigrated from Scotland in 1817. Today, the brewery is under the control of Labatt, a subsidiary of Anheuser–Busch InBev. The brewery also produces Oland Brewery beers, distributed in Eastern Canada (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Keith%27s_Brewery). Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale was marketed under that name long before the bold, intensely hoppy India pale ale style gained popularity with craft brewers. Its bitterness and hop character are low to moderate, rather than the moderate to very high typical of modern craft IPAs. In the United States, the beer is marketed as Alexander Keith's Nova Scotia Style Pale Ale.
Despite (or perhaps as a result of) its lack of resemblance to the current IPA standard, Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale continues to be Nova Scotia's most popular beer and the number one specialty beer in markets across Canada (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Keith%27s_Brewery#Nomenclature).
An amateur scuba diver has recovered a bottle from the bottom of Halifax harbour that could contain beer that is more than a century old.
And there's a possibility, though slim, the ancient brew could be drinkable.
After Jon Crouse pulled the green glass bottle from the billowing silt beneath three metres of 10 C water, he discovered its cork was intact and it was half full of a cloudy, sudsy liquid.
Crouse later spotted a logo on the side of the cork, which can be seen through the side of the bottle's neck. It says, "A. Keith & Son Brewery," the previous name of the now famous Halifax-based Alexander Keith's brewing company, which opened in the early 1820s.
"This Keith's bottle will be the highlight of my collection," says Crouse. "I was told by the head guy at Keith's that it probably wouldn't be advisable to (drink from it). But there's a part of me that's curious."
Still, if the murky fluids circulating at the harbour's bottom haven't penetrated the cork, the beer inside would be drinkable, says Chris Reynolds, co-owner of Stillwell, a local bar devoted to craft beer.The alcohol in the beer and the anti-microbial nature of the hops used to make the brew would protect it from poisonous pathogens, he says. "Ninety-nine per cent of beer gets stale, but it doesn't become poisonous," Reynolds says. "I think I would be willing to try it. If it is straight up beer from back then, everything we know says that it should be drinkable." But in all likelihood, it would taste awful.(www.ctvnews.ca/lifestyle/it-s-an-import-bottle-of-1800-s-beer-found-in-halifax-harbour-1.2675742)
Amateur treasure hunter and scuba diver Jon Crouse pulled the half-filled, green glass bottle, with its cork still intact, from the silt in three-metre deep water in November..Naturally, Crouse was curious about the bottle's contents, and wondered if the more-than-century-old Keith's was still drinkable. While the treasure hunter was adamant that he didn't want to taste its contents, he and local bar owner Chris Reynolds sought the help of scientists at Dalhousie University to analyze the cloudy, straw-coloured liquid.
Professor Andrew Macintosh, who specializes in fermentation research, said that the team looked at its density, colour, bitterness and pH levels, and the tests indicated the bottle was still filled with beer -- an India pale ale -- and not seawater.Macintosh said the beer shared similar characteristics with modern Keith's, including a 4.3 on the pH scale (beers typically range between four and five).
It also registered a 15 on the International Bitterness Units scale, which Macintosh said is higher than what is found in many industrial, large-scale production lagers.
With all scientific research out of the way, there was only one thing left to do: Cheers and drink up. (www.ctvnews.ca/canada/for-the-sake-of-science-researchers-taste-125-year-old-beer-1.2726523).
Amateur scuba diver John Crouse found the bottle in late November last year, near the Northwest Arm’s Dingle, buried in the mud under several meters of water. The bottle’s markings suggest it dates sometime between 1872 and 1890, with ink preserved on the cork indicating it as a product of “A. Keith’s Brewers.” The discovery was covered in local news outlets, which is where Dr. MacIntosh heard about it. “I thought to myself that it would be a fun opportunity to test that,” he recalls. Another person who noticed the news coverage was Christopher Reynolds of Halifax’s Stillwell Beer Bar. He approached Crouse and, together, decided to get the bottle’s contents tested.
“They contacted Propeller [Brewery],” says Dr. MacIntosh, “and their QA manager Jessica Forbes is a former student of ours: she went through our Food Science program, and she completed research in the brewing field under Dr. Alex Spears. So she was familiar with the lab and what we are capable of doing so she pointed Chris in our direction.” (www.dal.ca/news/2016/01/08/new-year--old-beer--dal-prof-helps-test-century-old-brew.html).
Tests indicated that the liquid had a low pH, that it still contained alcohol and was not toxic, he told AFP. "It's not good. Beers don't age well, especially in the bottom of the ocean," said MacIntosh, an expert on fermentation who took a sip of it. He said the beer gave off a whiff of sulfur, as well as a burnt scent. "On the palate, there is an odd minty flavor which I presume is from nitrogen, there is also some salt and a surprising amount of bitterness," he said (http://news.yahoo.com/bottle-canadian-beer-still-drinkable-120-years-researcher). Beer does not age like wine. Don’t go drinking random bottles you find in the harbour.” (www.dal.ca/news/2016/01/08/new-year--old-beer--dal-prof-helps-test-century-old-brew.html). Het nieuws was erg mediageniek en ook op nu.nl en bij bier.blog.nl kwam het nieuws te staan alsof MacIntosch zelf de herkomst van de fles had ontdekt en dat hij de smaak had beoordeeld.... Het verhaal had wel wat meer om het lijf.
Reynolds, who is the co-owner of the local craft beer bar Stillwell, was impressed.
"It tasted surprisingly good, and surprisingly like beer," he said. Reynolds described the vintage brew as acidic and bitter, with some hints of cherry and oak. Meanwhile, Macintosh offered a starkly different assessment after he tried the ancient beer "for the sake of science."
"You wouldn't want to drink any of it," he said. “It's terrible for a sample that's been sitting on the bottom of the Halifax Harbour for 100 years."
He added that the brew had an "odd, meaty" flavour, with lighter tree fruit notes and a distinct bitterness. Macintosh also said it had a "very strong odour," that "wasn't altogether pleasant," like a burnt barrel with sulphur in it.
Despite spending more than a century on the ocean floor, Reynolds said he wasn't concerned the beer would make him sick.
"As any homebrewer that has brewed some really bad stuff can tell you: Just because it tastes and smells kind of bad doesn't mean it is going to kill you," he told CTV News Channel.
"Basically, there's alcohol and a low enough pH that pathogens are kind of kept at bay."
And while the 125-year-old Keith's may not have aged like fine wine, Reynolds is still happy he had a chance to taste it (www.ctvnews.ca/canada/for-the-sake-of-science-researchers-taste-125-year-old-beer-1.2726523).
Extracting beer from the bottle.
(Photos provided by Andrew MacIntosh; additional photo from Dal Engineering)
Dr. MacIntosh, from the Department of Process Engineering and Applied Science, has been answering media calls from around the world after helping test a long-lost bottle of Alexander Keith’s beer discovered at the bottom of Halifax’s Northwest Arm this fall. The unopened bottle dates back to the 1800s.
“It was far more attention than I expected” says Dr. MacIntosh. “For some reason this is a story that has really taken off. We’ve been in contact with Canadian Press, this morning we chatted with Global News on their breakfast show and [the Discovery Channel TV show] Daily Planet will be airing their segment [in an upcoming episode].” [zie hier de CTV reportage]
The Daily Planet visit, which happened while the tests were taking place, was particularly exciting for Dr. MacIntosh, as he grew up watching the show when it used to be called Discovery CA. “It was quite a pleasure to move from them inspiring me as a kid to working with them now.”
(www.dal.ca/news/2016/01/08/new-year--old-beer--dal-prof-helps-test-century-old-brew.html)
Het bier, gebrouwen tussen 1872 en 1890 in de Canadese Alexander Keith-brouwerij, werd volgens AFP in november door duikers gevonden op de bodem van de Atlantische Oceaan. Door de constructie van het flesje en de inscripties [op de (kroon)kurk] te bestuderen, konden wetenschappers vaststellen dat het bier werd gebrouwen kort na de stichting van Canada, in 1867 (www.nu.nl/opmerkelijk/4194678/wetenschapper-drinkt-120-jaar-oud-canadees-bier.html).
Alexander Keith's is a Belgian-owned Canadian brewery founded in 1820 in Halifax, Nova Scotia making it one of the oldest commercial breweries in all of North America.[citation needed] It was founded by Alexander Keith who emigrated from Scotland in 1817. Today, the brewery is under the control of Labatt, a subsidiary of Anheuser–Busch InBev. The brewery also produces Oland Brewery beers, distributed in Eastern Canada (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Keith%27s_Brewery). Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale was marketed under that name long before the bold, intensely hoppy India pale ale style gained popularity with craft brewers. Its bitterness and hop character are low to moderate, rather than the moderate to very high typical of modern craft IPAs. In the United States, the beer is marketed as Alexander Keith's Nova Scotia Style Pale Ale.
Despite (or perhaps as a result of) its lack of resemblance to the current IPA standard, Alexander Keith's India Pale Ale continues to be Nova Scotia's most popular beer and the number one specialty beer in markets across Canada (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Keith%27s_Brewery#Nomenclature).