You'll Soon Be Able to Drink Beer Brewed with Space Yeast

Turns out Neil Armstrong was lacking foresight when he first stepped on the moon. What he actually should have announced was, "One small step for man, one giant leap for beer."

Last year, Oregon-based brewing company Ninkasi ran their very own space programme (classic forward-thinking Oregon). Yep, they got hold of a couple of rockets and sent a bunch of brewer's yeast into outer space and back. It's since been turned into beer and as of April 13, will be available for sampling. Wonderfully-named Ground Control, the brew blends well-travelled ingredients with local ones. Ninkasi have described it as a "rich, complex imperial stout", made with Oregon hazelnuts, star anise and cocoa nibs. Take. Our. Money.

Getting the yeast into outer space and back successfully took two missions. The first, which left on July 2014, carried sixteen vials.

But, on returning to Earth, it wound up somewhere in the Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, which meant that the Ninkasi team didn’t find it for 27 days — way too late for brewing purposes. The second mission, carrying six vials, left on October 23 from New Mexico's Spaceport America. After journeying to 408,035 feet, and reaching a maximum speed of Mach 5, it came back to Earth safely — ready for fermenting.

Ground Control will be sold in limited edition 22-ounce bottles at selected retailers across the United States. Keep your eyes on the eBay stars.

Via io9.