The question was posed to Irish radio station RTE Radio one: how would a Guinness react if someone tried to pour it into a pint in space?
An admittedly zany question, but one that Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield was kind enough to answer.
The question was posed by a listener, and made many smile:
If I poured a pint of Guinness in space, how long would it take to serve it? What would it look like?
An interesting question indeed, but one that seems to completely overlook the notion of gravity.
The 60-year-old astronaut took the time to answer the listener’s questions.
It’s simply impossible. No beer, Irish or of any other nationality, can be properly poured in space. You can’t pour a liquid without gravity. You can’t even decant it… Not to mention the bubbles in Guinness. These behave differently but not seriously: they won’t settle. Hadfield explained.
The astronaut went even further in his explanation: according to him, the bubbles could gather, while the liquid would form all around this cluster of bubbles.
He then went on to explain that a straw would be needed to consume the Irish beer.
This subject, discussed on the radio, caused a bit of a buzz in Ireland. As long as the rather playful Guinness brewery has decided to work on a more serious study… The goal? Find a solution so that Guinness can eventually… be consumed easily in space… despite gravity.
We’ve seen it all. But nothing seems insurmountable for the Irish brewery and its famous brown stout!
More news
