Space Beer Tastes Out Of This World

Japanese beer company Sapporo has launched, literally, a new product line. It's made with "space barley" and called Sapporo Space Barley, as well. The barley was grown on the International Space Station, and it's going to be sold to 250 people on a lottery basis.

Anyone outside of Japan needn't apply, however. According to their press release, only those from Japan and 20 and older can win. You can enter the lottery here. Oh, and if you win, you lose: 10,000 yen, that is. That's about $113.50. All proceeds go to charity.

Specifically, the "space barley" used to make this beer is the fourth generation descendant of the Haruna Nijo malting barley that was developed by Sapporo and kept in space for five months during 2006. Sapporo wasn't intending to sell space beer, per se, but rather the experiment was part of research with the Russian Academy of Sciences and Okayama University. The intent was to study the possibility of achieving self-sufficiency in food growth in space.

In addition to the sale to 250 winners, however, Sapporo is offering the chance for 30 couples (60 people) to taste test the beer. To get a chance at it, visit this site. Just as with the other lottery, you must be a Japanese resident and 20 or over.

The taste tests of the space beer will be offered in the following locations and dates:

Sapporo Breweries Hokkaido Breweries January 16, 2009 (Fri.) 14:00-
Sapporo Breweries Sendai Breweries January 13, 2009 (Tue.) 13:00-
Sapporo Breweries Nasu Breweries January 7, 2009 (Wed.) 14:00-
Sapporo Breweries Chiba Breweries January 21, 2009 (Wed.) 14:00-
Sapporo Breweries Shizuoka Breweries January 9, 2009 (Fri.) 10:00-
Sapporo Breweries Shinkyushu Breweries January 13, 2009 (Tue.) 14:00-

Written by Michael Santo
HULIQ.com