(Intergalactic travel will go better with beer)

“Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” – Mr. Spock, Star Trek 1991

Brewing beer has been a tradition on Earth for thousands of years, a process rooted in biology, chemistry, and a touch of art.

But what happens when you take this age-old craft to space, where gravity and other conditions are drastically different?

For the survival of the species, scientists, brewers, and beer fans with their heads in the stars, are starting to address this important question.

The Challenge of Microgravity

One of the biggest challenges in brewing beer in space is dealing with microgravity. On Earth, gravity plays a critical role in the brewing process. It helps in the separation of solids from liquids during fermentation and influences the way yeast interacts with sugars to produce alcohol and carbonation. In space, however, microgravity could cause the liquid to float around, complicating these processes.

In microgravity, bubbles don’t rise to the surface as they do on Earth. This could affect carbonation levels, leading to a flat or unevenly carbonated beer. The yeast, so vital for fermentation, might also behave differently, potentially altering the flavor and alcohol content of the beer.

To make space brewing a reality, scientists and brewers will need to overcome the challenges of microgravity and develop new techniques. This could include designing specialized fermentation vessels that can handle the unique conditions of space or genetically modifying yeast to perform better in microgravity.

Early Beer Experiments in Space

Several experiments, with differing degrees of legitimacy, have already been conducted to study the effects of space conditions on brewing.

In 2015, Ninkasi Brewing Company released a beer made from brewers’ yeast sent into space, called Ground Control.

In 2017 Budweiser took to the SXSW Interactive stage to announce that they are exploring ways to brew beer on the Red Planet.

In 2019, Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Budweiser took things a step further, and sent barley seeds to the International Space Station to study how they would grow in microgravity. The goal was to understand how space-grown barley might differ from its Earth-grown counterpart and how those differences could impact brewing.

Beer and Intergalactic Survival

As humanity looks toward longer missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, the idea of brewing beer in space has become, at least for us, increasingly important.

Astronauts, who might never see their families again, might appreciate the mind-numbing morale boost that comes with a beer after a long day of exploring the universe. A beer could even serve as a source of nutrition, providing calories and hydration in one package, so its not the space traveler is just drinking to forget.

And while we’re still in the early stages of understanding how to make this a reality,  progress suggests that one day, astronauts might indeed be able to weather their intergalactic journeys with a space-brewed beer or two.