Bottle of beer from Hindenburg to sell for £5,000

A fire-damaged bottle of lager salvaged intact from the Hindenburg disaster is set to become the world's most expensive beer when it sells for £5,000.

The blackened bottle, along with a charred pitcher jug, has been unearthed after 72 years having been owned by a fireman who found them at the disaster scene.

Leroy Smith discovered six unopened bottles of Lowenbrau lager after the giant German airship burst into flames over its landing site in 1937, killing 38 people.

Mr Smith had to secretly bury his find at the scene after it was sealed off by the authorities.

But he returned later to unearth the mementoes, which he then gave to five firemen colleagues. He kept one of the half-litre bottles and the silver-plated jug for himself.

They remained in his family and are to be sold at a British auction house.

Despite the huge price it is expected to fetch, the beer is undrinkable as it would have gone off within an year or two of the disaster.

It still has part of its original label on the front after some of it peeled away due to heat damage.

The pitcher is also fire damaged but you can still see the logo of the Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei - the German Zeppelin Company. It has a pre-sale estimate of £12,000.

Also for sale is an extremely rare 'Hindenburg' medal that was awarded to a crew member who survived the disaster.

The zeppelin ship Hindenburg erupted into flames over the Lakehurst airfield in New Jersey, US, on May 6, 1937, after it had flown across the Atlantic from Frankfurt.

It is thought friction in the landing ropes caused the huge fire, which destroyed the airship within 60 seconds.

Some 38 passengers and crew were killed in the tragedy, although 60 survived.

Andrew Aldridge, of Henry Aldridge and Sons of Devizes, Wilts, is selling the items.

He said: "Although it would taste quite foul, it is a unique item to come on the open market.

"It was quite incredible that anything could survive the disaster because the fire was so huge and spread so fast at the time."

It is thought that the world's most expensive beer is the limited edition Carlsberg's Jacobsen Vintage No.1 that has an alcohol content of 10.5 per cent and is worth £240.