SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA - In a Jurassic Park meets The Nutty Professor kind of moment, Raul Cano, a Cal Poly biology professor, has extracted 45-million-year-old yeast and successfully integrated it as an ingredient for a beer which he sells locally, SanLuisObispo.com reports.

Cano discovered the yeast in amber that came from Myanmar (previously Burma) while conducting research in the 1990s. Through experimentation, he was able to take strains of the yeast and grow them, which led him to speculating as to whether it could be used in food or drinks.

"Beer was the obvious product from an organism such as yeast," Cano said. "It was either that or bread. But beer seemed more adventurous."

And a company was thus formed.

Fossil Fuels Brewing Co. produces the ancient yeast-infused beer and sells it primarily in Northern California bars and pubs. The company has used Cano??s initial extraction of yeast to grow a larger batch that now fills a Northern California warehouse.

"Our main beer is a wheat beer, and we also have a pale ale, but we??re really working on others, including an amber ale and an Oktoberfest," Cano said.

Despite initial skepticism about the taste the yeast would yield to beer, Cano said the flavor resembles that of Blue Moon, with hints of spice, cloves, ginger, and pineapple.

The yeast??s genetic makeup allows the beer to finish with a clear color instead of cloudy resolution, a reflection of how the prehistoric yeast strain ferments sugars, Cano said.

For now, Cano has his eye on expanding his venture and is seeking an infusion of cash.

"I??d love to get some investors interested in expanding the company," Cano said. "I??m also interested in brewing it locally in San Luis Obispo."