When Budweiser announced it wanted to be the first beer on Mars back in March at South by Southwest, we’ll admit we were skeptical. There are a lot of high-tech, modern trends in the booze world, but this one just seemed a bit far-fetched.
Last week, Budweiser’s innovation team released its first step in the process—it’s sending barley to the International Space Station via SpaceX on December 4. The brewery has partnered with experts in the field to study how barley acts in a low-gravity environment. The grain will stay there for one month and then will return to Earth for analysis.
While the effects the environment has on barley and its ability to germinate will help us prepare for brewing in space whenever that time comes, Budweiser’s data will also provide information on the production of barley and the larger agricultural community on Earth.
“Budweiser is always pushing the boundaries of innovation, and we are inspired by the collective American dream to get to Mars,” Ricardo Marques, the vice president of Budweiser, said in a statement. “We are excited to begin our research to brew beer for the red planet.”