World · Europe · 4 hrs ago
A 1978 beer barrel emerges from ice in the Zillertal Alps
Daniel Oberlechner found a beer barrel at about 3,000 metres in the Zillertal Alps, below the Schwarzensteinhütte.
The 42-year-old works for South Tyrolean drinks company Harpf and had searched for the barrel for years.
It had fallen into a glacier crevasse during a helicopter delivery in the 1970s and remained missing.
A storm this summer exposed the 40-kilogram barrel as the ice around it melted.
A small group tapped it, and the 48-year-old beer was still drinkable, according to Harpf.
The company said its taste, amber colour and carbonation were still in good condition, though another account said it did not describe the taste.
The find shows how ice can preserve beer, but its condition also depends on how it is stored.
A beer barrel dated 1978 has been found in the Zillertal Alps after decades in a glacier crevasse.
Daniel Oberlechner, a 42-year-old driver for South Tyrolean drinks company Harpf, found it at about 3,000 metres below the Schwarzensteinhütte.
The barrel had fallen into the crevasse during a helicopter delivery in the 1970s and remained missing until melting ice exposed it this summer.
Harpf tapped the barrel with a small group, and the beer was reported to be drinkable.
Company chief Lukas Harpf said its taste, amber colour and carbonation were still in good condition.
- Who
- Daniel Oberlechner, a 42-year-old driver for the Harpf family business, found the barrel.
- What
- A barrel of beer dated 1978 emerged from glacier ice and was tapped; the beer was still drinkable.
- When
- It was found this summer; the barrel had been lost since the 1970s.
- Where
- At about 3,000 metres in the Zillertal Alps, below the Schwarzensteinhütte.
- Why
- It had fallen into a glacier crevasse during a helicopter delivery in the 1970s.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The barrel fell into a glacier crevasse during a helicopter delivery and went missing.
Daniel Oberlechner searched for the barrel after a neighbour told him about it.
A thunderstorm exposed the 40-kilogram barrel.
The barrel was brought down to the valley and tapped by a small group.
- Barrel date
- 1978
- Age when found
- 48 years
- Altitude
- About 3,000 metres
- Location
- Below the Schwarzensteinhütte, Zillertal Alps
- Finder
- Daniel Oberlechner, 42
- Weight
- 40 kilograms
3 sources
What people are saying
Das Bier war einwandfrei. Der Geschmack, die Bernsteinfarbe und sogar der Kohlensäuregehalt waren noch in Ordnung.
Der Gletscher scheint das Bier über die Jahre gut konserviert zu haben
Eine sehr seltene, überaus spannende Gelegenheit, und ein echtes Stück Harpf-Geschichte