The Beer Wench

In the very near future, Fossil Fuels Brewing Company will be releasing the world’s oldest beer -EVER.

Fossil Fuels™ Wheat Beer is being marketed as “The 45 Million Year Old Beer.”

Obviously, man has not been on the earth for 45 millions years. And beer is man-made.

So this raises the question: How the heck can Fossil Fuels™ Wheat Beer be 45 million years old?

Answer: Jurassic Park.

Amber was popularized by the book and movie, Jurassic Park, in which the DNA extracted from dinosaur blood within the mosquito, was used to reproduce dinosaurs. But have no fear. Dinosaurs will not be roaming planet earth again - at least as far as I know.

However, technology has allowed for the extraction of DNA from animals and insects trapped in amber.

Allow me to introduce you to a real life “Jurassic Park” scientist - Raul Cano. (His research was a key inspiration for the “Jurassic Park” movies).

Back in 1995, Raul Cano (who has a doctorate in medical mycology) sparked quite an academic whirlwind when he announced in Science magazine that he had extracted DNA from an ancient Lebanese weevil entombed in amber 25-45 million years ago.

And, instead of using his powers of extraction for evil, Cano decided to use his for good - aka for BEER.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Cano - now the director of the Environmental Biotechnology Institute at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo - said, “I was going through my collection, going, ‘Gee whiz — this is pretty nifty. Maybe we could use it to make beer.”

And beer they did make … with several million year old yeast.

Using the 25-45-million-year-old yeast, Cano and a team of amateur brewers whipped up the inaugural batches of T-Rex Lager, Stegosaurus Stout, Jurassic Amber Ale, and Ancient Ale, and untapped them at the cast party for “Jurassic Park: The Lost World.”

Unfortunately for Cano & friends, the beers were not a success. BUT, this did not stop them from trying again.

Although almost a decade later, Fossil Fuels Brewing Company is ready to release another batch of 45 million year old beer. Its “first” will be the Fossil Fuels™ Wheat Beer.

According to the brewery’s website, Fossil Fuels™ Wheat Beer is brewed with ancient yeast preserved in amber and revived after 45 million years to provide a distinguished and satisfying taste.

When? And Where? In the VERY NEAR FUTURE, Fossil Fuels Brewing Company will begin to distribute its beer to select bars and pubs around northern California and will be keeping an updated list of locations on its website.

ABOUT DR. PAUL CANO

Dr. Raul Cano founded the E.B.I. and is the director of the institute. Known for his groundbreaking work with ancient DNA, he continues to press forward toward new discoveries. He is now dedicated to advancing research in biotechnology and bioremediation.

At Cal Poly, Dr. Cano is leading a team of scientists at the EBI. on the practical application and enhancement of current biotechnologies, and the development of new knowledge to continue progress in the biological sciences.

Dr. Cano specializes in molecular and cellular biology. He has lectured to scientists around the world, and has been published dozens of times in scientific journals including Science, Nature, Microbial Ecology, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, and many more. He has done patented work on deriving ancient bacteria from amber inclusions, and has a patent pending for methods of detecting pathogens in foods.

His Ph.D. in microbiology was granted by the University of Montana, and Dr. Cano also holds degrees in Genetics and Clinical Microbiology. He has been teaching at Cal Poly for 28 years, where he has received more than a dozen awards.

Dr. Cano is a member of several professional associations, including American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the Molecular Biology and Evolution Society.

Environmental Biotechnology Institute, © 2002
Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo
Last Modified: 11/20/02