Experiments to develop’space beer’

Anheuser-Busch, a beer maker known as Budweiser, reportedly sent an experimental set to the International Space Station to produce beer in space.

On December 6, 2019, SpaceX, which signed a contract with NASA and is carrying out a supply mission to the International Space Station ISS, launched the 19th supply ship. The supply ship succeeded in docking the ISS on December 8th and transported various private enterprise experimental equipment in addition to household goods and screw testing equipment for astronauts.

Some of the items sent to ISS include Anheuserbusch’s miniature malt house. In addition, barley, which is the raw material of beer, is also sent along with the experiment to see how the weightless space affects beer making. Anheuser Bush said that the experiment conducted with the device sent this time is the third experiment to investigate the effect of the universe on barley germination.

In the first experiment, dry grains were sent to space and then returned to Earth to see what difference it made when grown on Earth’s fields. Then, some seeds were able to look different from ordinary seeds, but it is said that the difference will disappear next year. Second, by conducting an experiment to germinate barley on the ISS, it was discovered that barley germinated in outer space may differ in cell structure and metabolic pathways from those germinated on Earth.

In this experiment, we make malt from germinated barley in the same way as the general manufacturing process, and investigate how weightlessness affects malt. The company said that this experiment, which makes malt, will control air flow and water temperature as well as the general manufacturing process. By analyzing interactions in outer space, Anheuserbush argued that innovation could push the boundaries.

Of course, Anheuser Bush wasn’t the first to experiment with alcohol in space. In November, 12 French red wines were sent to ISS, and an experiment was started to investigate the changes in taste and aroma by storing and aging for one year.

One expert says alcohol has played an important role in society, regardless of good or bad. Alcohol is currently banned from the ISS, but there is an anecdote that a Russian astronaut brought cognac to the space station Mir, launched by the former Soviet Union. It is also possible to imagine the possibility of alcohol playing a diplomatic role in outer space. Related information can be found here .