Fossil Fuels Brewing Co. has been in the making for more than a decade, but that’s nothing compared to one of the ingredients used to brew its beer. The yeast used in the fermentation process is tens of millions of years old.
In 1995, microbiologist and Cal Poly professor Raul Cano made headlines in the science world when he successfully removed living bacteria from a bee encased in fossilized amber from 25 to 45 million years ago.
“We extracted 1,500 to 2,000 organisms, mostly bacteria and a few yeasts. Our main interest was the bacteria, with hopes of extracting antibiotics. But when that became too expensive, I turned my attention to the yeasts,” said Cano, currently a professor emeritus at Cal Poly.
Cano got into contact with Bill Evans, brewmaster of Carmel Brewing Company, and they developed Fossil Fuels Brewing Co. and a line of unique beers that played off the prehistoric origin of their product.
T-Rex Lager, Stegosaurus Stout and Jurassic Amber Ale were born. The theme struck a chord with producers of a movie being released that year and the beer was actually served at the cast party for “Jurassic Park II: The Lost World.”
Various difficulties and complications arose that forced Cano to close shop by 1997. For the next 10 years, the yeast would be stored inside a freezer at 70 degrees Celsius until a twist of fate revived Fossil Fuels Brewing Co.
Lewis “Chip” Lambert, a microbiologist who had confirmed the validity of the amber research also worked as a ski instructor and gave lessons to the wife of Peter Hackett, owner of Stumptown Brewery in Guernville, Calif.
“My friend Chip is a schmoozer, so when he found out she was married to the owner of this eclectic brewery, he asked her how she would like to brew a beer with ancient yeast,” Cano said.
“It fell into my lap. We were randomly put in touch and six weeks later we were brewing beer,” Hackett recalled.
Fossil Fuels Brewing Co. was reformed with Cano and Lambert as partners and with Hackett producing a variation of his trademark Rat Bastard Ale, adjusting the name to T-Rat.
In a comparison of the two, Jay R. Brooks of Celebrator Beer News magazine remarked, “While they’re both great beers, the T-Rat has a more complex and well-developed taste profile, and its smoothness makes it great. The fact that it was made with such old yeast is fascinating, and given how good the beer is, no mere novelty.”
Hackett described the beer as having an “exotic ginger and melon quality with spiciness reminiscent of Belgian styles.”
He attributed that to the fact the Belgian brewers use wild yeast, although Cano said the ancient variety is unique from any of the yeast stocks found presently. T-Rat was recently submitted to compete in the 2008 World Beer Cup earlier this month.
In the past year, Fossil Fuels Brewing Co. has received its federal and state wholesaler’s license. It also entered into a contract with Kelley Bros. Brewing Company in Manteca to produce a new lager and ale.
The new beers will have an unveiling party at the brewery near the end of May and Cano said he hopes to have a commercial product in select stores within the next year. The group has not decided if it will continue the dinosaur concept.
While Cano definitely considers himself a beer enthusiast, he said he hopes to contribute more than just another tasty beverage to the planet.
“The yeast was a gift from nature. If we ever make a profit, it should be returned to nature,” he said.
Future profits will be used for alternative fuel research at Cal Poly’s Environmental Biotechnology Institute. According to Cano, one possibility is reclaiming the unused energy from the wasted water of beer production to be used as a biofuel.
“Why waste the waste?” he said.