Budweiser Exploring Ways to Brew Beer in Space

The panel at SXSW where Budweiser discussed its plan to brew beer in space. (Budweiser)

For the intrepid crew of astronauts that will be first to reach Mars, there is the prospect of cracking open a celebratory cold one once they arrive. Though they’ll have to seek out a different planet if they’re craft beer fans.

Budweiser announced its plan to be the first beer on Mars during a presentation at SXSW. In a panel moderated by The Martian star Kate Mara, the folks at Anheuser-Busch explored the challenges of bringing brews into space.

As retired astronaut Clay Anderson said in this video from the event, “that’s a big idea.” The concept of bringing a carbonated beverage from a gravity-based environment, like Earth, to a zero gravity environment in space is particularly challenging because the beer would explode once opened and spray the spacecraft’s interior.

So space will have to be the final frontier for brewing.

Budweiser will research microgravity brewing techniques, as well as the genotypes and DNA of certain grains that might be best to grow in space, CollectSpace reports. The research could help create a disease-resistant, drought-resistant strain of barley, said Valerie Toothman, Anheuser-Busch’s Vice President of Marketing Innovation, during the SXSW panel.

—RealClearLife