Can you brew beer in outer space?

[zoebisch01]

I would like the boiling wort floating around.

 

[Donasay]

So we have established that this lady brewed a small amount of beer in outer space, probably brought up sterile wort and pitched in space... but what if we wanted to get a larger production going say enough for the astronauts to have a party....

 

[ohiobrewtus]

Wet burps *are* a much cleaner alternative to wet farts.

No beer = space sucks.

 

[eschatz]

yeah, if they can get plants to grow in outer pace, then they can get beer/yeast to do its thing.

 

[GloHoppa]

Dude - should I have any idea what this means?

sorry, im a closet trekkie...its Quark's bar from Star Trek DS9

 

[tranceamerica]

one night, while drinking too much homebrew, I had a fantasy of driving my '76 F-150 super cab to mars w/a cooler in the back. now, I'll have to bring a tow-behind AG rig on the back.

 

[blacklab]

sorry, im a closet trekkie...its Quark's bar from Star Trek DS9

Ah, gotcha. I was really confused by that image. I thought it was going to barrage me with pr0n if I clicked on it.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Under Virgin Atlantics X Program, yeast was taken into orbit and then used to brew with. The beer is/was sold in Albequerquee (sp) New Mexico undet the label "Comet Tail Ale".

Each can was stamped with a serial number where you could track the orbital flight in which the yeast had been taken on.

Sorry I don't have the article link anymore but here is the blurb;

Yeast With the "Right Stuff" Brew First Space Beer

By Loretta Whitesides August 23, 2007 | 10:57:13 AMCategories: Space

New Mexico, home of the X PRIZE Cup and the soon-to-be-home of Virgin Galactic, now has another claim to fame- it’s the only place you can buy space beer. Kelly’s Brew Pub in Albuquerque, is home to “Comet’s Tail Amber Ale,” the world’s first space beer. Comet’s Tail is the only beer brewed with yeast that has flown in space.

Much like the private astronauts that will be launching in New Mexico, these yeast-o-nauts have flown on private suborbital launches and are recovered in time for their most important mission yet, fermenting hops malt.

The web hype for the product is a little lacking (presumably since they can't sell the stuff online). But the sister site for their Energy Drink "Antimatter" is pretty cool. You can even match the Spaceflight Authentication printed on your can to one on their website to view the launch which flew the ingredients for your drink!

The special brew is also now available in four stores around Albuquerque, according to Microgravity Enterprises representative Linda Strine. With any luck the brew will be at a retailer near you in time for your next space party, but for now you may just have another reason to head down to New Mexico for the X PRIZE Cup in October.

 

[Donasay]

so we can get our hands on space yeast, and make that beer down here, but how would we go about making enough beer on the ISS for an astronaut party? Assuming All grain of course.

 

[Revvy]

Under Virgin Atlantics X Program, yeast was taken into orbit and then used to brew with. The beer is/was sold in Albequerquee (sp) New Mexico undet the label "Comet Tail Ale".

So are these beers canned or in bottles, and if in bottles,is it bottle conditioned?!? Maybe we could harvest us some space yeast!

That would be skiffy!

 

[debaniel]

NASA did have a project back then where they flew a bunch of tomato seeds and exposed them to the radiation of space and then gave the seeds away, mostly to school kids to grow as part of their science class and look for mutations in the plants. I don't know what happened with that study.

Who could forget?

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!!

 

[beeraggie]

Yumm....green space wenches!!! I'm there!

If the green women all looked like that I would go and never come back

 

[Revvy]

If the green women all looked like that I would go and never come back

Evidently she's the new green chick in the next Star Trek Movie...Maybe even Kirk's Mom?!?

 

[Tommish]

So are these beers canned or in bottles, and if in bottles,is it bottle conditioned?!?

Beware over-carbed bottles in space. Instead of bottle bombs you'd haver brew rockets (picturing foaming projectiles flying around the bridge...).

I was also thinking that you could chill wort really FAST in space. Just run some pipe outside for a couple of turns- voila! 170F to -100F in 5 seconds!

 

[beergears]

Beware over-carbed bottles in space. Instead of bottle bombs you'd haver brew rockets .

Hmm... beer-powered jet backpacks??

 

[arturo7]

Hmm... beer-powered jet backpacks??

"Sorry lads, no space walk today. Scotty drained the all the fuel cells last night."

 

[HoppyHoppyJoyJoy]

If you were to brew in space, and you burned yourself with boiling wort and then screamed- would anybody hear it?

Hoppy

 

[Revvy]

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.

 

[Parker36]

Those crazy Japs did it.

Yahoo!

 

[Revvy]

Those crazy Japs did it.

Yahoo!

Hmmm...not commercially available.

I have a couple of aquaintances who are astronauts, and one of them is supposed to be lecturing tomorrow. I wonder if he knows some people who know some people....

 

[Tenchiro]

Not quite the same, but pretty cool;

NewsTalk 1530 KFBK | Coverage You Can Count On

Space Beer is the result of a five-month mission to boldly grow, where almost no one has grown barley before.

(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.

 

[DeathBrewer]

wow. i'd forgotten all about this thread.

 

[john from dc]

"There's really no beer like it because it uses 100% barley."

 

[DeathBrewer]

well, in a BMC world, that's true!

 

[BrewMonsterHead]

It is possible. You would have to boil, as others said, with an electric heater and high pressure-variable volume vessels (very costly). You could boil using outside temperatures when on the brite side of the moon and cool when entering the dark side. It would basically be a spinning piston for the boil. All of your grain would have to be tea-bagged and the air would have to be recycled and purified. Upon transfer, you would have to add the appropriate amount of oxygen into a vacuum bag and transfer your liquid to it. The bag would have to sit in a centrifuge to keep the yeast in contact with the liquid and the CO2 would have to be able to migrate to the center without becoming entrained in the liquid due to centrifugal forces. I would probably be the most interesting billion-dollar beer you ever tasted.

 

[Revvy]

I Might Get Me Some Space Beer!!!!

My astronaut doctor buddy is lecturing, and he just popped into my office to see me. I asked if he knew or had any contact about the beer. He hadn't heard about it, so I showed him the video on the story....He knows just about all the people involved, including the Cosmonaut interviewed in the video.

He's gonna make some calls....I doubt it will happen, but you never know.

FYI, the reason my medical school is tied in to Nasa so much, is one of our docs Jerry Linenger, spent time on MIR, then recruited some of his collegues into a research project.

Jerry M. Linenger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(He went to my highschool...I graduated with his brother)

My buddy lecturing today, Dr. Scott A. Dulchavsky, helped design a portable ultrasound for use in space.

NSBRI News: Ultrasound – a diagnostic tool for space, sports and more

AND the first year medical students are the only ones in the country that get trained on it through their career.

Days like this I really love my Job!!!!

 

[EvilTOJ]

Dude, score us some space yeast!

 

[brokenanchor]

It is possible. You would have to boil, as others said, with an electric heater and high pressure-variable volume vessels (very costly).

Sounds like a ridiculous pressure cooker to me.

Revvey that's awesome that you know those guys. My high school had a class called CASA that allowed students to participate in a week long 24 hour a day mission. It was a pretty cool program and we were in contact with a few people from Langley and Johnson Space Flight Center since our program was the only one of its kind at the time.

On topic...rocket me some space yeast

 

[Revvy]

I'm not holding my breath for anything, but we'll see. Scott told me that he wished I had mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, he just got back from Star City, and was hanging out with some of the guys in the one video. He kept laughing when they would show that one Cosomonaut...I guess that guy is kinda nuts and a bit of a scammer.

 

[camiller]

sorry, im a closet trekkie...its Quark's bar from Star Trek DS9

That's odd, to me it looks like a message from the guy who's image you hot linked. He seems to be suggesting you not use up his bandwidth and host the image yourself. I'm just not sure how I was supposed to get Quark's bar from that.