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First 'Space Beer' Made With Astro-Barley Sold on Earth

by Caleb Johnson on December 3, 2009 at 04:10 PM

Apparently, there's not a lot of work to do on the International Space Station (ISS) these days. Who needs important scientific research anyway? Instead, some Russians and Japanese astronauts decided to grow some barley and make some home-brewed brew.

According to the Telegraph, Japan's Sapporo Breweries will sell six packs of the world's first "space beer," which was actually brewed on this planet, but uses barley grown in space, to select Earthlings who win a lottery. In all, 250 people will have the chance to purchase a pack of the beer, dubbed "Space Barley," which will sell for $115-a-pack or about $19-a-bottle. That's pricey, but when you're talking about a small, one-time batch, the cost becomes a simple case of supply and demand.

Of course, we kid about the importance of this project, which was a collaborative effort between the Russian Academy of Science, Okayama University in Japan and Sapporo Breweries. This marks the first time barley has been grown in space, and the astronauts also grew other vegetables like wheat, lettuce, and peas. Breakthroughs in food production are key if astronauts hope to journey farther into space. [From: The Telegraph, via: Huffington Post]

Tags: astronaut, beer, brewery, food, internationalspacestation, japan, research, space, top

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