At the last beer festival in Melbourne, Australian brewers presented the newest brand of beer on the market, which bears the name of the fictional character Moby Dick. The name of the giant whale from the eponymous novel was not chosen accidentally, since the beer has the aroma of whale vomit.
The beverage is flavored with the popular mucous ambergris, which is secreted in the whale's intestines and also used in the perfume industry and medicine, making the products a lot more expensive.
The aroma of ambergris definitely stands out and is called whale vomit because it's made in their intestines to aid the digestion of the largest mammal on the planet.
Ambergris is one of the rarest substances in the world and whenever it's added to a product it makes it several times more expensive. It is prized because it's thrown out into the ocean only when the whale dies.
While the whale is still alive, the substance that aids its digestive process cannot be extracted and used.
In many cultures, the aroma of ambergris is considered a potent aphrodisiac and is even described as the secret ingredient in every love potion. Legends say that all it takes is for a person to smell it. If you smell of ambergris, another person will immediately fall in love with you.
The inventors of the Australian beer Moby Dick are Australian brewers Maris and Kristi Biezaitis, who share that the fragrant perfumes that smell of ambergris inspired them to create a beer with ambergris.
Ambergris isn't put into the beer in pure form because its aroma is too strong and intrusive. Instead, they use it to make a tincture by soaking small pieces of ambergris in alcohol.
These pieces are mixed with the usual ingredients for beer.
Of their frothy beverage, the inventors say that people will get a chance to try something truly unusual because this is the first beer that mimics the sea and sea life.
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