We all know that Canberra's own BentSpoke Brewing Co makes some incredible beers but now they have made one that is out of this world - literally.
In a National Science Week collaboration with aerospace company SuperSky Engineering, BentSpoke has brewed a beer using yeast captured at the edge of space.
Astro Beer will be available at the BentSpoke Brewpub in Braddon from 11am on Saturday, August 14.
Dr James Gilbert from SuperSky Engineering is an amateur home-brewer and has wanted to try this experiment for years.
"It didn't take too many beers for me to dream this one up," says Gilbert, who's been a member of the Canberra Brewers Club for years.
The project was partly funded by a seed grant from Inspiring Australia as part of National Science Week.
To capture the yeast, a high-altitude balloon with a custom petri-dish contraption containing nutrients that would act as a source for the yeast to latch onto was launched in Temora, two and a half hours west of Canberra.
When the balloon was between 23km and 30km above the Earth, in the stratosphere - approximately 99 per cent above the atmosphere - Gilbert opened the trap door on the petri-dish contraption with the hope of collecting a yeast sample.
At these altitudes, the low temperature, low pressure and high ultraviolet radiation levels are like the conditions on Mars.
After the launch, the balloon floated east for a total flight time of two and a half hours and re-entered Earth's atmosphere via a parachute about 140km east of Temora where it was retrieved.
Once the petri dish was collected, the BentSpoke team took it back to the lab at the cannery in Mitchell.
The team was able to extract a single yeast deposit, which they combined with a combination of elements to enable the fermentation process to begin.
Richard Watkins, co-owner and head brewer of BentSpoke, said they weren't even expecting to find a yeast that could make a beer.
"There are so many yeasts out there that can't ferment sugar to make beer so we were unsure what to expect," Watkins said.
"But we managed to get some, and it's worked.
"It's going to be a really unique flavour, in a category all of its own, I think it will be quite interesting for people to taste which is the whole idea of it."
It's easy to forget, particularly after a few beers, that brewing is indeed a science.
Gilbert said National Science Week was an ideal opportunity to be reminded how large a part science played in our everyday lives.
"It's crucial to demonstrate the interplay between science, engineering and everyday products that people enjoy because one would not exist without the other," said Dr Gilbert.
