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The Mindoro is a sunken British sailing barque from the 19th century that lies at the bottom of the English Channel off the coast of Dover. It set sail from London on November 20, 1864, with general cargo bound for Vancouver Island. The wood and steel ship collided with a ship called Khersonese one week after starting its journey and sank on November 27. Thankfully, everyone on board was saved, but the precious cargo never made it to market.
In 2025, diver Stefan Panis explored the wreck and discovered a sealed bottle, which he then brought up to the surface. When he rinsed it off, the words on the seal read, “Guinness Extra Stout, London.” He shared his discovery with fellow diver and researcher Pawel Truszynski who began investigating the history of the 19th-century stout. “We immediately recognized that we weren’t just holding an old artifact,” Truszynski recalled. “We were holding a flawlessly sealed time capsule of liquid history.”
The bottle was found on the ocean floor, but the divers noticed that around 20 others were still inside a wooden crate. They were packed upside down, which created a natural hydraulic block, keeping the seawater and any bacteria out.
Today, Panis and Truszynski are in the process of discovering what the Guinness made during the reign of Queen Victoria actually tastes like. They’ve contacted microbiological labs in KU Leuven, a university in Belgium, and the official Guinness Archive in Dublin to safely extract samples and attempt to revive the 19th-century yeast strains. Their plan is to re-brew the beer exactly as it tasted 162 years ago.
Panis and Truszynski are calling their initiative Project Jurassic Beer. Truszynski says, “To taste a flavor profile that has been trapped in a vacuum since the Victorian era would be an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
While they patiently wait to taste the ancient Guinness, Panis and Truszynski have been learning more about the shipwreck and its cargo. They discovered that the beer was sent in barrels to London trade agent Cameron Saunders in the autumn of 1864, who bottled it in English glass. Their research also revealed that the ship sank because the crew of another ship tried to sabotage the voyage and steal the cargo.
“The crew officially intended to BLOW THE DECKS OUT OF THE MINDORO WITH EXPLOSIVES to get the cargo,” they explain on Instagram. “This explains the blast damage Stefan saw under water. Luckily, harsh channel storms cut their operation short, leaving our Guinness shipment untouched for 160 years!”
Follow Panis and Truszynski for more updates on Project Jurassic Beer.
In 2025, diver Stefan Panis explored the Mindoro shipwreck near Dover and found a sealed bottle of Guinness from 1864.
View this post on Instagram
He and fellow diver Pawel Truszynski are working on reviving the 19th-century yeast strains so they can re-brew the beer exactly as it tasted 162 years ago.
View this post on Instagram
Stefan Panis: Instagram
Pawel Truszynski: Instagram
Source: Shipwreck Divers Discovered a 162-Year-Old Bottle of Guinness Brewed During the Reign of Queen Victoria—and They Want to Take a Swig
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