Above: The preserved seal dates this extraordinary find back to August 1999.December 21, 2010 marked an historic day in the storied saga of craft beer. Much like honey in Egyptian tombs, a landmark discovery has led researchers to declare that the products of Elevator Brewing Company never spoil.
In the exotic realms of the Columbus East Side, Elevator sales representative Caleb Amos undertook a perilous exploratory mission in search of the mythical “Lost Kegs of Elevator.” Remarkably, one such keg was unearthed in the basement of AWOL Bar, layered beneath the sediment of ages and coated with the dust of dormancy. An exhaustive analysis of papyrus scrolls dated the brew to August 1999. The beer itself was identified as Pinch Hit Pilsner, a forgotten product from Elevator’s bygone era of production in Marysville.
Dick Stevens, Elevator operator and chief funding source of the mission, could not contain his own curiosity. The prize find was secretly relocated beneath the shroud of nightfall to the Elevator Brewery, where the keg was cleaned and tapped.
“It was drinkable!” an exuberant Stevens exclaimed in his exclusive first interview following the discovery. “It wasn’t great, but it never went bad. It’s pretty remarkable to think that an 11-year-old beer would still be drinkable. Not many people get to try a beer like that.”
In a coincidental twist, Elevator Brewing Company recently revealed that the Pinch Hit Pilsner would be revived as part of the 2011 Masters of Beer Appreciation (MBA) and Professor of Hearty Drinking (PHD) specialty beer programs.
The good news for Masterbrewer Vic Schiltz?
“I told him that he didn’t have to brew any Pinch Hit Pilsner this year,” Stevens joked. “Plus, it’s aged!”
Curious beer aficionados will have a chance to try Pinch Hit Pilsner (a fresh batch, be assured) in the summer of 2011. The full MBA and PHD beer lists are listed below.
