(Nov. 10) -- The world's most expensive bottle of beer goes on the auction block Saturday -- just don't expect to drink it.
In fact, according to Andrew Aldridge of the British auction house Henry Aldridge and Son, the contents are downright undrinkable.
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That's because the beer bottle, which is still about 80 percent full, survived the famous fiery crash of the Hindenburg in New Jersey more than 70 years ago.
"It is also one of only a handful of items of this type to have survived the Hindenburg disaster and still exist today," Aldridge said in an e-mail from England. A milk pitcher that also survived the crash will be sold as well.
The Hindenburg was the largest aircraft to ever take to the skies, measuring more than 800 feet long. On May 6, 1937, the hydrogen gas in the airship caught fire, and 36 of 97 passengers died, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
According to the auction catalog, a local fire chief recovered the pitcher and several beer bottles from the crash. He gave five of the bottles to colleagues and one to the Lowenbrau brewery. The pitcher bears the DZR Deutsche Zeppelin Reederei logo of the Hindenburg's company. The other bottles have been lost, save for the one still at the brewery.
Aldridge said his firm has received inquiries from Europe, Asia and Australia, as well as the U.S.
The bottle is expected to sell for as much as $8,000. The pitcher is expected to fetch well over $16,000. The auction house accepts bids in person and online.
