Sapporo's Space Beer, pictured here, is expected to retail for $115.00

Sapporo brewers in Japan have perfected zero gravity beer. Currently, multiple reports note that Sapporo is introducing SAPPORO Space Barley, a 5.5 percent ABV beer made with barley completely cultivated in the zero gravity environment of space. According to a press release from Sapporo, the barley used in the beer is;

the fourth generation descendant of the Haruna Nijo malting barley that was developed by Sapporo Breweries and kept in space for five months during 2006 as part of our collaborative research with the Russian Academy of Sciences and Okayama University with the purpose of achieving self-sufficiency in food in the space environment. Since Sapporo Breweries was founded, we have continued to create excellent varieties for raw materials, and we are the only company in the world that operates breeding/research organizations for both barley and hops. This, the world’s first sale of this “space beer,” is the result of our extended nurturing/development of the required technologies.

Evidently only 100 litres were brewed and there are only 250 six packs being released for commercial consumption. Most is being reserved for research (happy euphemism for “party for Sapporo employees,” maybe?), however the 250 six packs will be sold by holding a lottery for those interested in purchasing the six packs which they will then have the privilege of paying the suggested retail price of approximately $115.00 per package. The bottles will be 330 ml, or for the Americans out there – your standard 12 oz bottle.

That better be the best damn beer ever.

Considering what it looks like in the photos, however, I wouldn’t hold my breath.

In other news, the August Schell Brewing Company of New Ulm, MN announced the upcoming release of their 150th anniversary ale. According to company information Hopfenmalz will hit the shelves around January 19. It is an 80 barrel, single batch brew, so get it while you can.

Moylan’s Brewing of Novato, CA is bottling Ryan Sullivan’s Imperial Stout and Old Blarney Barleywine, while Friends of Harpoon had the following announcement from the greater Boston area;

Friends of Harpoon are invited to join us this Wednesday night at Flatbread Company in Amesbury for a unique beer and pizza pairing event. We’ll be pairing various beers with specialty flatbreads while guitarist Kevin Smith plays in the background. There will be a cocktail hour (well, actually, it will be a beer half-hour) from 6:00 to 6:30 PM during which you will enjoy a UFO White. Then, dinner will be served, buffet-style, between 6:30 PM and 8:00 PM, and it will include eight (8) 4 oz. samples of the following beers with a flatbread buffet.

• 100 Barrel Series Ginger Wheat paired with Organic Salad
• All-natural Harpoon Cider paired with Homemade Sausage Flatbread
• Leviathan Royale Saison paired with Coevolution (Mediterranean style flatbread)
• Leviathan Baltic Porter paired with Mopsy’s Kalua Pork Pie (Hawaiian style flatbread)
• Harpoon IPA paired with Jimmy’s Free Range Chicken flatbread
• UFO Pale Ale paired with Veggie flatbread
• UFO Hefeweizen paired with Jay’s Heart (tomato and cheese flatbread)
• Seasonal Harpoon Winter Warmer paired with Barbara’s Gingerbread (dessert)

Finally – here’s a nice story about a family brewery with its roots in homebrewing: