This fall, Tiktaalik is both a beer and a fossil

Rhinegeist Brewery’s latest beer, the Tiktaalik Cold Double IPA, was inspired by 375 million-year old history. 

The beer, the brewery’s latest collaboration with Cincinnati Museum Center, is named for a prehistoric freshwater fish. First discovered in 2004, Tiktaalik fossils provided crucial information for scientists studying the evolutionary transition from water to land. 

It was also discovered in the Arctic—making it an apt namesake for a Cold IPA.  

Tiktaalik fossils will feature in CMC’s upcoming Ancient Worlds Hiding in Plain Sight exhibit, opening at the end of September—and so will Tiktaalik beer, which will be available at CMC events throughout the fall. 

“Our partnership with Rhinegeist allows us to pique the interest of amateur paleontologists and gives us something to toast with as we open a new gallery dedicated to telling Cincinnati’s prehistoric story,” Dr. Brenda Hunda, curator of invertebrate paleontology at CMC, said in a press release. 

CMC and Rhinegeist have collaborated twice previously. In 2018, Rhinegeist released Brittlebrain, a Belgian-style ale inspired by a dinosaur in CMC’s dinosaur hall. Four years later, they reteamed for Lagerstatte, a lager named after the German term for a fossil-rich sedimentary layer. 

“We strive to add as much value to Cincinnati’s brewing history as Cincinnati Museum Center does to the fossil record in the area, and we believe there are many parallels – although geologic time runs a lot longer,” said Rhinegeist’s Beth Boswell. “Turns out paleontologists love to share a beer.”