Moon tourism on the rise thanks to beer, brewing with Anthrax, Sierra Nevada recalls beer, an after-dinner beer digestif and British drinkers face pricier pints. That’s the news for the week. Read on for full details.
San Diego: They put a beer on the moon
Any questions pertaining to human kind’s ability to put a man on the moon were answered back in 1969 with Apollo 11 (well, mostly…). Almost five decades later, UC San Diego engineering students are answering the next logical question: can we brew beer on the moon? The endeavor is part of the Lab2Moon competition which challenges “youth under 25” to come up with an experiment that will help build sustainable life on the moon. While minor details like lack of water, zero gravity and barren vegetation will still have to be ironed out, the UCSD students exercise should determine if the actual brewing process is possible. They plan to send wort and yeast into space where—upon arrival on the moon—the two building blocks of beer will be introduced in an attempt to induce fermentation.
New York City: Beer gets metal
While you might not be able to thrash like Anthrax, you will soon be able to drink like them. The iconic band is releasing Wardance, “…a beer you can drink over and over again. And I have,” according to guitarist, Scott Ian. The pale ale is brewed with American two-row malt barley and New York and West Coast hops and is then dry-hopped. The concept grew out of an off-hand comment made by the band while drinking at Daddy-O in New York’s West Village. The owner of the bar called in a favor with friend and owner (and avowed metalhead) of Butternuts Beer & Ale Brewery in Upstate New York, Chuck Williamson. “I’ve wanted to do our own beer for a long time, it was just finding the right guy to make that a reality,” explained Ian. “I am a fan of Butternuts, especially their Porkslap Pale Ale, and when I found out that Chuck was interested in doing a beer with us I immediately said yes.” The 5.5% ABV ale will be available in 12-ounce cans in New York at the end of March with plans to distribute to other parts of the country.
National: Beer recall
Sierra Nevada has voluntarily recalled eight different beers distributed to 35 states due to a defect in 12-ounce bottles labeled a “glass packaging flaw.” The flaw could result in chipped glass falling into the beer. “While we believe this concern impacts roughly 1 in every 10,000 (0.01%) of our bottles packaged during this time,” said Mike Bennett, Chief Supply Chain Officer, in a released statement, “Sierra Nevada has set the standard for quality in the craft brewing industry since 1980 and we have decided to take this precaution to ensure the safety of our consumers. To date, we have not received any consumer reports of injuries resulting from the potentially affected bottles and we are working with our supplier to determine the root cause of the issue.” The flaw impacts certain brands within certain packaging dates including Pale Ale, Beer Camp Golden IPA, Sidecar Orange Pale Ale, Torpedo Extra IPA, Tropical Torpedo, Nooner, Hop Hunter and Otra Vez.
Chicago: After dinner beer
Fernet-Branca’s “moment” has been going on for several years. The bitter herbal liquor and bartender’s go-to post-shift drink is now lending its unique flavor profile to beer. We already reported that Chicago’s Forbidden Root has teamed with the Branca family to create a beer that replicates the world’s most popular digestif. Frenetic is currently only available at Forbidden Root, but a campaign is now underway to make the beer available to a wider audience.
Great Britain: Rising beer prices
If you knew greater autonomy would lead to higher beer prices would you still advocate for freedom or simply wash away your reservations with another beer? Proponents of Brexit may be having buyer’s remorse as they face increased prices at the pub in the wake of Britain’s exit from the European Union. Heineken, Carlsberg and MolsonCoors have all had to raise their prices as labor costs increase and the value of the pound decreases. Carlsberg increased prices by 2.6% and Heineken tacked on an additional 6 pence (about $0.08) on the price of a pint. “Beer in the UK is made predominantly using domestic raw materials,” said British Beer and Pubs Association head, Brigid Simmonds. “However, the depreciation of sterling certainly means there will be some inflationary pressures through increased costs such as raw materials, packaging, energy and transport costs as well as employment and other cost pressures all businesses face.”