Budweiser planning to brew beer on Mars

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - Budweiser plans to send a supply of barley into space as part of its goal to brew beer on Mars when it is colonized.

SpaceX will be delivering a shipment of barley to the International Space Station in December, according to the beer giant. It will remain in orbit for a month and then analyzed on its return to Earth in order to determine how the grain reacts to microgravity environments.

SpaceX's upcoming cargo supply mission is scheduled to launch on December 4 from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

"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."

Budweiser's innovation team selected barley, one of its core ingredients, to be the focus of the first two experiments in space. One of the experiments will focus on barley seed exposure with the second testing barley germination. Not only will the research offer insights on steps to creating beer on Mars, but it could also provide valuable information on the production of barley on Earth.

Budweiser executives originally announced the company's plans during SXSW in Austin, Texas, this spring. The red planet has many issues that will impact beer production, including limited water resources, limited sunlight and its atmospheric pressure.