A trio of century-old bottled beers discovered in the Czech Republic could help scientists better understand the chemical changes that occur in beer over long periods of time.
According to the American Chemical Society, the bottles were uncovered in 2015 during reconstruction of an old brewery. The lagers were apparently produced during the World War I and stored in a large cold cellar at the brewery where they remained to gather dust.
Initial sensory analyses found that the beers ranged from intensely sulfuric to sour, and had off-flavors that ranged from fecal to fruity. Using high performance liquid chromatography and other techniques, the researchers compared the beers’ features to those of modern day brews. For example, the century-old beers had higher alcohol content and were less bitter. They also contained more iron, copper, manganese and zinc
