Sapporo to hold tastings of first 'space beer'

December 3, 11:05 AMColorado Springs Craft Beer ExaminerEli Shayotovich

Previous Next

Comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Colorado Springs Craft Beer Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

                     Space (beer)... the final frontier. 

We may not have flying cars like the ones envisioned in the old Hanna-Barbera cartoon, The Jetsons, but don't think mankind is resting on their laurels. We do have the International Space Station.

And what have the astronauts and scientists been doing up there in the vacuum-y climate of deep space?

Making beer.

Barley used in a new space beer -- a collaborative effort between Japanese brewer Sapporo and Okayama University biologists -- is actually a third-generation offshoot from the original barley plant stored for five months inside a Russian lab on the space station. Sapporo has made 100 liters of the out of this world beer, named Sapporo Space Barley, but it's not for sale.

In January Sapporo will hold tastings of the world’s first space beer.... which apparently tastes just like regular beer. "Regular beer" being relative of course. But if you want to try some... don't hold your breath. Only thirty couples, selected via lottery, will be invited to the events at the company’s six plants from Hokkaido to Oita Prefecture. It's already been tested on both lab animals and Sapporo employees, so it should be safe to drink.

If you are one of the very lucky few who get a sample be sure to give me a shout.  I want to know if this brew does in fact taste like "regular beer."