Occasionally we come across an interesting news item (shipwreck related) but not about the 1715 Fleet. The Saint James Brewery of Holbrook, New York has come upon a most interesting way to make beer…they brew it from yeast found in bottles of beer that have languished on the ocean floor for 132 years.
The owner of the brewery, Jamie Adams, says that his beer grew out of his love of scuba diving. The beer is brewed with yeast extracted from bottles that he and some fellow divers salvaged from the SS Oregon, a luxury liner that sank off of Fire Island in 1886. The wreck lies in 135 feet of water. He came up with the idea of making some beer if he and his friends ever found some intact bottles. After storms shifted sands and made the first class dining room available in 2017, they were able to find 26 bottles, upside down, with their corks intact. Adams then cultured the yeast along with the help of a microbiologist, and the rest is history.
He calls his brew Deep Ascent. Adams says that his new beer is slightly fruity with a hoppy finish. It was his hope to replicate the type of beer that would have been served on that ship in 1886. Shipwrecks hold a special fascination for many people and drinking beer with a shipwreck origin while discussing our favorite wrecks is now a possibility. For more information, visit the St. James Brewery website.
Ben Costello, Director.
