Space Beer: Pub Module Coming Soon to a Galaxy Near You

Space tourism is a distinct possibility in the near future, so it only stands to reason that people are beginning to consider how to get beer in space. The prospect of drinking in space is more than intriguing for many, but the tricky combination of carbonation and microgravity are a problem. Bubbles that normally rise on Earth, simply stagnate in space.

Australian brewery, 4 Pines Brewing Company, saw this as a challenge and created Vostok, the first beer suitable for space. Named after the first manned Russian spacecraft flown by Yuri Gargarin in 1961, Vostok was named the winner after early test flights.

"Wherever humans have journeyed or conquest to throughout history in the last few thousand years, we first worry about water, food, shelter and clothing," says Jaron Mitchell, the founder of 4 Pines.

The group Astronauts 4 Hire, a non-profit space research corporation are set to test this Australian beer that has been brewed and bottled especially for microgravity again in November 2011. The beer will have it's debut on board Zero Gravity Corporation's Boeing airplane.

A stout, Vostok is naturally darker and less carbonated than other beers, making it a great choice for a space beer. This particular stout will have an exceptionally darker chocolaty taste to counteract the numbing of taste buds due to the swelling of your tongue that occurs in space, according to Ben Corbin, PR director for Astronauts 4 Hire. In fact, astronauts have been known to douse their food in hot sauce to make it tastier, so the beer has to be much stronger than your average light beer.

Strangely enough, burping is not possible in space, or more accurately, the carbon dioxide does not separate from the liquid, which creates messy results so the lower carbonation of Vostok will make it easier on space travelers.

On the first test flight, February 26, 2011, the company selected professional microgravity flight researchers to sample and give feedback. On these zero-gravity parabolic flights, the conditions actually exceeded the harsh conditions of space flight. While going back and forth from 1.8 g to 0g fifteen times, 6-samples were tested. No negative effects from carbonation was found in this particular brew.

This is not the first time the term space beer has been used. The Japanese brewing company, Sapporo, manufactured a special beer in 2008. This brew was manufactured from a harvest of third-generation barley grown on the International Space Station. An interesting marketing ploy, but except for the farming location, it was identical to terrestrial beer. Vostok on the other hand is created with space travelers in mind, maybe enjoyed in a nice little pub module at some point?

Resources:
Vostok - The Worlds First Space Beer
Astronauts for Hire
Sapporo