Beer making beyond planet Earth: How space-age technology could shape the industry

By Charles Passy

A new study from the University of Florida explores the effects of a microgravity environment on the beer-production process

Could the beer industry be looking to outer space for its financial future?

That's the question some might be asking in light of a recent study from the University of Florida that examined the fermentation process - a key step in the making of beer - in a microgravity environment. The research showed some positives to the approach - or, to quote from the study, microgravity "may provide bene?ts not realized terrestrially."

To be clear, the study was conducted here on Earth utilizing technology that helps simulate a microgravity environment. But in the past, Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD), the multinational brewing giant behind Budweiser, Corona and Stella Artois, has conducted production experiments on the International Space Station. (The company has not responded to a MarketWatch request for comment.)

Also to be clear: No one is suggesting that beer making in space itself is a profitable enterprise - far from it. Rather, this is about exploring microgravity as a space-age concept to be utilized in the brewing process on terra firma.

The University of Florida study showed that the yeast used in fermentation "exhibited accelerated growth rates under microgravity compared to standard conditions," according to the published report. Plus, "the microgravity environment led to significantly lower levels of volatile compounds."

All this can be "beneficial or detrimental to the final product depending upon the desired characteristics" of the style of beer you're making, the report noted.

But if there's a benefit, the implication is clear, said Andrew Macintosh, a University of Florida assistant professor of food science who worked on the study. "You could make a product that would sell better," he told MarketWatch.

Which certainly could be the kind of news the beer industry needs. In recent years, beer has lost some of its appeal, especially as younger drinkers turn to alternative alcoholic beverages - hard seltzer, for example - or embrace low-alcohol or no-alcohol alternatives.

U.S. beer sales increased a very modest 1.3% to $45.8 billion for the 52-week period ending in mid-May, according to a recent report. And case sales actually declined by 1.7%.

Noah Rothbaum, a veteran journalist who covers alcoholic beverages, said the technology involved in production methods may not be something that everyday beer drinkers think about, even as it's incredibly important to the industry's bottom line.

"We kind of forget that all alcohol production is essentially a science experiment," Rothbaum said. "It's chemistry. It's biology. It's physics."

-Charles Passy

This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

09-03-24 0806ET

Copyright (c) 2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.