Brewery To Sell Beer That Has Been To Space

People want beer that's been to space, or, at least, that's what certain breweries think. Come April 13, select retailers around the country will offer up an imperial stout brewed with yeast that traveled (very briefly) to space.

Last year, Oregon-based Ninkasi Brewing Company started what they called the Ninkasi Space Company. In July, they launched the first batch of yeast into space but, "due to unforeseen circumstances, the payload of yeast remained lost on the desert floor of Nevada’s Black Rock Desert for 27 days, leaving the yeast not viable for brewing," according to a press release. In October, they tried again, chartering another rocket in conjunction with the Civilian Space eXploration Team to successfully transport six vials of yeast into space and back to earth where it was brewed into the cleverly named Ground Control.

Unfortunately for Ninkasi, Japan's Sapporo already one-upped them with a beer brewed using barley grown on the International Space Station back in 2008. And in 2012, Scotch Whiskey brewer Ardbeg sent samples of their whiskey into space to age for two years in zero gravity. That experiment may have paid off, as the batch took home top prizes in an annual spirits competition. If you seek out any Ground Control Stout next month, let us know if it tastes out of this world.