Yeast, preserved from a shipwrecked vessel in Bass Strait, has been recreated and used to make the beer. 

The beer, aptly named The Wreck, took three years to make happen, Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery conservator David Thurrowgood said. 

“It is the first time anyone has been able to have a taste of yeast flavours from that time. It’s almost a miracle,” he said. 

Since the announcement, the beer has attracted attention from all over the world, with some countries wanting to buy it by the pallet. 

“We have not expected the level of interest. It has been published in the Wall Street Journal, on live television in the UK and America and lots of interest in Asia,” Thurrowgood said.  

Only three bottles of the brew were found on the bottom of Bass Strait, with only one not water damaged. 

“One bottle was 50 per cent sea water, one was about 15 per cent sea water and one of them remained in tact. So in one bottle we’ve had this story come through,” Thurrowgood said. 

Just 5000 litres of the beer have been made in the first brew. 

QVMAG’s director Richard Mulvaney said there is nothing like the beer in the market, that he knew of. 

“We launched this beer in Melbourne at the Great Australian Beer Spectacular. For three days, the rooms were chok-a-block full of beer lovers and we sold 80 per cent of the beer sales for the those three days,” he said. 

Mulvaney said it was amazing the yeast in the beer had lasted for so long. 

“Yeast is only known to have lived for 10 years, but our yeast has lived happily in the fridge-like conditions in Bass Strait for 220. It’s just fabulous,” he said.

The beer will be sold through merchants James Squires. 

A sold-out launch event is being held at Saint John Craft Beer. Co-owner Ryan Campling said it was incredible to be part of the event.