Brewing...IN SPACE!

[MCKemp]

How long until the first beer is brewed outside of the atmosphere? How will the lack of gravity affect it? What methods and systems can be used?
Random thought today, but I'm curious if it's been talked about before

 

[arnoldk2]

Well if beer is consumed in space it would get very messy really quick. The carbonation that we drink uses gravity to separate itself from the liquid giving us the ability to burp. In space there isn't any of that. So burps would actually be vomit in space... a vurp if you will.

 

[solbes]

They've drank Coke and Pepsi in space during the 80's/90's.

This was taken directly from the wikipedia site:

"Beer has also been developed that counteract the reduction of taste and smell reception in space and reduce the possibility of wet burps in microgravity.[23] Barley harvested from that grown for several generations in space have also been brought back to earth to produce beer, which has been used for fund raising.[24]"

vurps, wet burps, etc. Doesn't sound like fun to me. Maybe some space station grown hops would be kinda cool.

 

[unionrdr]

vvyyyyuuurp big time! I saw a vid on youtrub where this small brewery is already experimenting with "space safe" beer. They're trying to get the flavor of a carbonated beer in an un-carbonated one. 2012,a spayuuuurp oddessy!

 

[Revvy]

Been there talked about that already..

We've had threads discussing all of this over the last few years.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast21sep_1.htm

Suds in Space
Bubbly, frothing and ticklish -- soft drinks and beer promise a welcome taste of home to faraway space travelers.
...Will fermentation work the same in weightlessness? What happens to carbonation when there's no buoyancy to bring the bubbles to the top? Can space beer form a proper head? Scientists who study the physics of gas-liquid mixtures would love to know!

Two separate space shuttle experiments tackled these questions. Both were engineered and mediated by BioServe Space Technologies, a NASA-sponsored Commercial Space Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder. NASA's Space Product Development (SPD) program encourages the commercialization of space by industry through 17 such CSCs....


Below: A far cry from the copper vats used to brew beer here on Earth, this Fluid Processing Apparatus was used by Sterrett to ferment a tiny batch of space-brew

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12388

More news on the space brewing front!

Japan plans to brew 'space beer'

TOKYO (AFP) - A Japanese brewery Tuesday said it was planning the first "space beer," using offspring of barley once stored at the International Space Station.

A Russian laboratory student from Japan's Okayama University holds up a bunch of "space barley" grown in a Russian space laboratory in 2006. Japanese brewery Sapporo Holdings is expecting use the barley to brew a "space beer" in November.


Researchers said the project was part of efforts to prepare for a future in which humans spend extended periods of time in space -- and might like a cold beer after a space walk.

Japanese brewery Sapporo Holdings said it would make beer using the third generation of barley grains that had spent five months on the International Space Station in 2006.

"We want to finish the beer by November. It will be the first space beer," Sapporo executive Junichi Ichikawa told reporters.

The company will have enough space grain to produce about 100 bottles of beer but has no immediate plan to make it a commercial venture, Sapporo officials said.

The company teamed up on the project with Okayama University biologist Manabu Sugimoto, who has been part of a Russian space project to explore ways to grow edible plants in space.

Barley can grow in relatively tough environments, such as high and low temperatures, and is rich in fibre and nutrients, making it ideal for space agriculture, the associate professor said.

"In the future, we may reach a point where humans will spend an extended period of time in space and must grow food to sustain ourselves," Sugimoto said.

As of now, scientists have not detected any differences between Earth-grown and space barley, said Sugimoto, who will present DNA analysis of his findings before a conference in Canada in July.

"In the long run, we hope our space research will be not just about producing food, but about enjoying food and relaxing," Sugimoto said.

It was the latest space experiment with food.

South Korea's first astronaut, Yi So-Yeon, brought kimchi into space last month, while Japan has previously sent noodles into orbit.

Here's a link with video. http://www.kfbk.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=104673&article=4663838

(Reuters) The adult beverage, brewed from barleycorn cultivated in the International Space Station in 2006, has splashed down courtesy of the Russian Academy of Science, a Japanese university and beer giant Sapporo.

But the 100 liters of the 5.5% alcoholic brew aren't for sale, although extra-terrestrial tastings are being offered to some lucky earthlings, as Sapporo tries to push its brand into a new orbit.

Junichi Ichikawa a Managing Director at Sapporo Breweries says, "There's really no beer like it because it uses 100% barley. Our top seller is the Black Label brand, using additional ingredients such as rice. This one doesn't and is really a special beer."

Cosmonaut Dr. Boris Morukov, who spent 11 days in space himself, says barley joins wheat, lettuce and peas as space station produce, noting potatoes may take root in future studies, although not to make an equally famous Russian beverage.

With explorers now eyeing longer trips to Mars, that menu may change, and Okayama University Professor Manabu Sugimoto says don't rule out space ramen or rice wine in the future.

I even talk about how I almost got some here.

It didn't happen, but my astronaut buddy did make a call to try to score a bottle.

 

[Revvy]

And here's the link for Vostock Space Beer.

The first beer consumed in zero gravity.

 

[Revvy]

The Sapporo Beer did end up eventually being commercially available.

First 'Space Beer' Made With Astro-Barley Sold on Earth

by Caleb Johnson on December 3, 2009 at 04:10 PM

Apparently, there's not a lot of work to do on the International Space Station (ISS) these days. Who needs important scientific research anyway? Instead, some Russians and Japanese astronauts decided to grow some barley and make some home-brewed brew.

According to the Telegraph, Japan's Sapporo Breweries will sell six packs of the world's first "space beer," which was actually brewed on this planet, but uses barley grown in space, to select Earthlings who win a lottery. In all, 250 people will have the chance to purchase a pack of the beer, dubbed "Space Barley," which will sell for $115-a-pack or about $19-a-bottle. That's pricey, but when you're talking about a small, one-time batch, the cost becomes a simple case of supply and demand.

Of course, we kid about the importance of this project, which was a collaborative effort between the Russian Academy of Science, Okayama University in Japan and Sapporo Breweries. This marks the first time barley has been grown in space, and the astronauts also grew other vegetables like wheat, lettuce, and peas. Breakthroughs in food production are key if astronauts hope to journey farther into space. [From: The Telegraph, via: Huffington Post]

 

[MCKemp]

This is so cool! Thanks, Revvy!

 

[jmendez29]

Soooo.... How would one go about getting a specific gravity reading in zero gravity?

 

[WortMonger]

Soooo.... How would one go about getting a specific gravity reading in zero gravity?

Refractometer, lol.

 

[arnoldk2]

Been there talked about that already..

We've had threads discussing all of this over the last few years.

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast21sep_1.htm

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn12388

More news on the space brewing front!

Here's a link with video. http://www.kfbk.com/cc-common/news/sections/newsarticle.html?feed=104673&article=4663838

I even talk about how I almost got some here.

It didn't happen, but my astronaut buddy did make a call to try to score a bottle.

Im jelouse you have astronaut buddies. All my buddies are homebrew moochers.

 

[DeadFartWino]

So burps would actually be vomit in space... a vurp if you will.

Hmmmm. Like sharting only slightly more pleasant.

 

[arnoldk2]

Should make up t-shirts... "Vurp? It could be worse, you could of sharted!"