Space Beer Being Tested in Zero Gravity - Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

The first beer created for space consumption is being tested, but that doesn't mean astronauts will get to sip any while on duty.

It is being brewed by Sydney, Australia-based 4-Pines Brewing Co. as a joint venture with Saber Astronautics Australia, a startup space engineering firm.

Discovery News reported that the non-profit space research group Astronauts4Hire will test the beer aboard Zero Gravity Corps' airplane, which lets people experience what a weightless environment would be like by flying aerobatic maneuvers called parabolic arcs.

Participants test the beer during the microgravity portions of the flight and wear sensors to monitor their body temperature, heart rate and blood alcohol level. Data is collected on how the beer tastes and how drinkable it is during weightlessness.

MSNBC said the testing, set to start in November, is being done to prepare for the potential space tourism industry. It will also be available for Earth consumption.

There have been previous studies including one in 2006 when the Japanese brewery Sappora worked with the Okayama University in Japan and the Russian Academy of Sciences, according to MSNBC. The Space Barley was made with barley grown from seeds that flew aboard the International Space Station.

NASA has also sponsored studies, including one with the University of Colorado that found yeast ferments more efficiently in microgravity, making it more alcoholic.

As far as astronauts, they will have to try theirs out on Earth. NASA and the space station both have policies against the consumption of beer on duty.