Alpine beer barrel lost in 1978 found, company says it is still drinkable

A barrel back from the ice

A beer barrel that went missing in the 1970s has resurfaced in the Zillertal Alps, near the border between Italy and Austria. The beverage company Harpf, which says it has been in business for more than 140 years, announced the find on its social media channels. According to the company, an employee named Daniel spotted the barrel at about 3,000 metres above sea level, after melting ice had exposed it. Harpf's Italian-language posts place the find below the Sasso Nero refuge, while the German-language coverage names the Schwarzenstein hut instead. The barrel was dented but still recognisable, and it was found in the summer of this year, according to the company's account.

How the barrel was lost

Harpf says the barrel fell into a glacier crevasse during a helicopter delivery in the 1970s and then stayed buried for decades. An engraving on the metal gives the year 1978, which the company used to date the barrel. The company believes the barrel most likely came from its own warehouses, a link it describes as an emotional one. Berliner Zeitung reports that the ice around the Schwarzenstein has been shrinking for years, releasing objects it once covered. That report points to the 1991 discovery of Ötzi at the Similaun as the best-known case of this kind. No source gives the number of loads or the exact route flown on the day the barrel was lost.

Recovery and the tasting

Daniel moved the barrel down the slope on a hand cart, which the company described as a demanding manoeuvre. Once the barrel reached the company's premises in Bruneck, a small group of beer fans and curious onlookers opened it and poured the contents. Harpf says the beer was still drinkable and credits the glacier with keeping it in good condition. In its post, the company described the find in these words:

“A truly rare and exciting occasion, and a real piece of our company's history.”

The company has nicknamed the beer 'beer from the ice' and has not described its taste in any detail. The verdict on drinkability comes from the company's own account of the tasting, and no independent check is reported.

Why the beer may have survived

Alcohol and a low pH make beer a hostile environment for pathogens, which is why the reports say nobody who drank it fell ill. Taste is a different matter, because beer oxidises over time, hop aroma fades and the drink tends to turn stale. Cold and darkness slow that process, and the company credits the glacier with doing this. The barrel lay in the ice for decades, but no source describes the conditions inside it. No laboratory test of the beer is reported.

What remains unclear

The reports disagree on the exact spot, with the Sasso Nero refuge named in Italian posts and the Schwarzenstein hut in German coverage. Some reports call Daniel an employee, while others describe him as a driver for the company. The taste verdict rests on the company's account and a small tasting. The earliest article in this cluster was published on 27 October 2026, and the latest on 28 October 2026.