Belgian amateur diver Stefan Panis has found a sealed 162-year-old bottle of Guinness inside a shipwreck in the English Channel, and scientists are now trying to work out whether the 19th-century beer could still be drinkable.
Panis made the discovery while exploring the wreck of the Mindoro, a cargo ship that sank a few kilometers off the coast of Dover, England, on November 27, 1864, after colliding with a sailing ship. He is also an underwater photographer and described the find to Belgian broadcaster VTM Nieuws, saying he made the discovery last year while examining the ship's cargo with a fellow diver.
A bottle that caught his eye
Panis said that when he saw the hand-blown bottle among the debris, its cap immediately caught his attention. Because it was still sealed, he said he suspected it probably held something special. After lifting the bottle and rinsing its surface, he and his diving companion found the words "Guinness Extra Stout London" on it. The beer is believed to have been produced by the Irish brewery Guinness in the 1860s.
Asked whether the beer could still be tasted, Panis was cautious. He said it was possible the beer was still drinkable, but that the real question was whether seawater had seeped into the bottles through their caps over the decades.
Possibly two dozen more bottles
Panis suspects the wreck may be hiding more than one bottle. He told the BBC that based on the size of the crate he found, he believes it certainly holds 24 bottles. As soon as he made the discovery, he said his first thought was how to best preserve the 162-year-old find.
Kept in a cooler, sent for testing
To prevent the bottle from deteriorating, Panis is now keeping it submerged in water inside a cooler, a precaution he considers essential to preserve its contents for scientific analysis. Two organizations have since contacted him about examining the beer: microbiologists from KU Leuven university and the Guinness brewery itself, both wanting to determine its alcohol content and the flavors it may have carried in the 19th century.
Panis said he has no idea what the bottle might be worth on the market, but that its historical value is undeniable, calling the experience of holding a 162-year-old bottle in his hands a unique one. He added that despite not being especially fond of dark beers, he would not hesitate for a second to taste this 162-year-old drink.
