US company all set to brew beer on Mars

New York, Nov 26 (IANS) Imagine how it would be if you can enjoy a chilled beer on Mars? US-based brewing company Anheuser-Busch is all set to make "Budweiser" the first brand of beer on the Red Planet.

Budweiser is upholding its commitment, announced earlier this year at an event "South by Southwest" that "it would create a beer suitable for drinking in space... and when people get there they will toast on Budweiser...", the company said in a statement this week.

"Budweiser is always pushing the boundaries of innovation and we are inspired by the collective American Dream to get to Mars," said Ricardo Marques, Vice President, Budweiser.

"We are excited to begin our research to brew beer for the red planet," Marques added.

The company also plans to send 20 barley seeds -- a core ingredient in Budweiser's recipe -- into space.

Twenty Budweiser barley seeds will be sent to the International Space Station (ISS), packaged in two Space Tango CubeLabs -- shoebox-sized facilities that host small-scale experiments.

They will be sent to space on the upcoming cargo supply mission SpaceX's CRS-13 scheduled to be launched on December 4 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

The seeds will be in orbit for approximately 30 days to see how they react in a microgravity environment, before being brought back to earth for Budweiser's innovation team to analyse.

The two barley experiments will focus on barley seed exposure and barley germination.

Not only will the research offer insights on steps to creating beer on the Red Planet, but it could also provide valuable information on the production of barley and the larger agricultural community here on earth.

These experiments on the ISS are the first of many steps Budweiser will take to reach its larger goal of creating a microgravity beer for Mars, the statement said.