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11-Year-Old Coloradan Will Brew Beer In Space, By Proxy

Posted by timothy on from the in-10-years-he-can-try-it-legally dept.

minty3 writes "An 11-year-old Colorado boy may have found a way to literally make a beer that's out of this world. Michal Bodzianowski, a sixth grader at Douglas County's STEM School and Academy in Highlands Ranch, Colo., recently won a national competition where his beer-making experiment will be flown to the International Space Station." Noting that beer is safer than contaminated water, Bodzianowski pointed out that beer could be useful “in future civilization as an emergency backup hydration and medical source."

4 of 129 comments (clear)

  1. Who Judges These Things? by Anne_Nonymous · · Score: 5, Funny

    >> recently won a national competition...

    ...judged by the astronauts scheduled for that mission.

    Surprisingly, the kid with the poo to food recycling experiment lost again this year.

  2. New definition by dieu1979 · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's the new moonshine

  3. Re:Yeah sure by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    For centuries before potable drinking water became widespread, beer was the beverage of choice. It wasn't strong beer, but what would be called "small beer," which was maybe 1-2% ABV. It's safer than untreated water, beer must be boiled in the brewing process. No known harmful microorganisms will grow in beer, though some which give it an off taste will. When given the choice between a possibly unsafe water source and beer, beer is the best choice.

  4. Re:Very safe indeed by rgbatduke · · Score: 5, Informative

    The "healthier than water" part comes from hundreds of years ago when Beer was cleaner than water.

    Or, the 10 seconds ago where beer is still cleaner than water in much of the world. I grew up in India, under "water discipline" -- drink only water that has been boiled (possibly in e.g. the form of tea) or drink coca-cola (nothing lives in coke!) or drink beer. When we went on long road trips and ran low on water, I drank Golden Eagle way back when I was seven or eight years old. Over seven years, I never got amoebic dysentery, cholera, or more than the usual (mild) viral enterics because I never, ever, drank unboiled water.

    If I returned to India tomorrow, I would probably follow exactly the same discipline, possibly with more beer and less tea or coke. Wouldn't you?

    rgb

    --
    Even when the experts all agree, they may well be mistaken. --- Bertrand Russell.