Helium Beer: Canada's Legal Drinking Scene Explored

Helium beer is a mythical product that has been the subject of numerous viral videos and online posts since 2014. The videos, which were originally posted as April Fool's Day jokes, featured people drinking what appeared to be helium-infused beer and speaking in high-pitched voices. Despite the videos being satirical in nature, they sparked widespread interest and led to many people inquiring about the availability of helium beer in Canada and other countries. However, it is important to note that helium beer is not real and, according to scientific explanations, cannot exist due to the insolubility of helium in water and beer.

Is helium beer real?

The idea of helium beer gained popularity in 2014 when the Boston Beer Company's Samuel Adams PR team posted an April Fool's video announcing the release of HeliYum, a "radical, extreme new beer that leverages the wonderful properties of helium". The video showed founder Jim Koch taking a sip of the helium-infused brew and describing its taste in a high-pitched voice. This was followed by a similar video from Stone Brewing, advertising their Stochasticity Project Cr(He)am Ale with Helium. Both videos quickly went viral, with people expressing interest in trying the unique brew.

However, it is important to note that helium beer is not a real product that you can buy in stores. In fact, it is scientifically impossible to create a true helium-infused beer. This is because helium is not soluble in water (or beer), so it cannot be used to carbonate the beverage like carbon dioxide or nitrogen. Additionally, liquid helium turns into a gas at -220°F, which would result in frozen beer.

Despite these scientific limitations, some people have experimented with ways to create a helium beer-like experience. For example, the team at Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN) tried to force "heliumnate" a beer by subjecting it to 50 psi of helium pressure for five days. However, while this process created a creamy head and a smooth mouthfeel, it did not affect the pitch of drinkers' voices.

So, while helium beer may capture the imagination and seem like a fun party trick, it remains a myth rather than a reality.

Is it available in Canada?

Helium beer is not available in Canada or anywhere else in the world. It is impossible to infuse beer with helium because helium is not soluble in water or beer. Even if you could add helium to beer, it would freeze since liquid helium turns into gas at -220°F.

The concept of helium beer originated as an April Fool's Day joke in 2014. Stone Brewing released a satirical video advertisement for "Stochasticity Project Cr(He)am Ale with Helium," claiming it was the first-ever canned beer with helium. The video sparked widespread interest, with many people inquiring about where they could purchase the beer. However, it was always intended as a prank, playing on the idea that helium beer could alter your voice, similar to inhaling helium from a balloon.

Despite the scientific impossibility, some people have experimented with creating helium-infused beer. In one instance, a team from Chemical & Engineering News attempted to force "heliumnate" a stout beer by subjecting it to helium pressure. While the resulting beer had a creamy head and a smooth mouthfeel, it did not affect the drinkers' voices, and it was not commercially produced or distributed.

So, while helium beer has captured the public's imagination, it remains a fictional beverage that cannot be bought or sold in Canada or anywhere else.

What is the science behind helium beer?

The idea of helium beer started as an April Fool's Day joke by Stone Brewing Co. in 2014. They released a video announcing their new product, Cr(He)am Ale, a cream ale with helium, in 16-oz cans. The video showed people drinking the beer and their voices changing in the same way as if they had sucked in helium. This video went viral and sparked a worldwide demand for helium beer. However, helium beer is not real and is scientifically impossible. Here's why:

Firstly, helium is not soluble in water, and therefore, it is not soluble in beer. This means that you cannot carbonate beer with helium like you can with carbon dioxide or nitrogen. Beer needs to be carbonated to create fizz, and since helium cannot be dissolved in beer, it is impossible to create a carbonated beer with helium.

Secondly, adding liquid helium to beer is impossible because liquid helium has a very low boiling point of -220°F. At this temperature, the beer would freeze.

Thirdly, even if you could somehow add helium to beer, it would cause gushing because helium is not soluble in beer. The undissolved helium would rush out of the container as soon as it is opened, resulting in most of the beer being lost.

In conclusion, helium beer is a fun idea that captured the imagination of many people, but it violates the laws of thermodynamics and physical chemistry. Therefore, it is safe to say that helium beer will remain a myth and a scientific impossibility.

What are the alternatives to helium beer?

Helium beer is not a real product, but a prank that was started by Stone Brewing Co. in April 2014. The company released a video announcing their new product, Stochasticity Project Cr(He)am Ale with Helium, which showed two men drinking the beer and their voices changing in the same way as if they had sucked on helium. This video went viral and sparked people's curiosity about helium beer. However, helium beer is not scientifically possible because helium is not soluble in water or beer, and adding liquid helium to beer would freeze it.

If you are looking for alternative beers to try, there are many other unique and interesting beers on the market. Here are some alternatives to helium beer that you can try:

• Guinness - This famous beer uses nitrogen instead of carbon dioxide to create a creamy texture and a fine, steady head of foam.
• Pale-Ale-Eo Diet - This is a fictional beer story that was created by the editors at HomebrewersAssociation.org as an April Fool's Day prank in 2017. While it is not a real beer, the story is quite entertaining and may spark your interest.
• NE IPA - This beer style was once considered fictional but has now been officially recognized.
• Craft beers - There are many small and independent craft breweries that offer unique and innovative beers, such as the Stone Stochasticity Project Cr(He)am Ale, which was the first canned beer released by Stone Brewing.
• Samuel Adams beers - The Boston Beer Company, which produces the Samuel Adams brand, also pulled an April Fool's Day prank by introducing Heli-YUM, a "radical, extreme new beer" with properties of helium. While Heli-YUM is not a real product, Samuel Adams offers a range of other interesting beers.
• Beers from around the world - If you are looking for something different, you can explore beers from other countries, such as the best-selling beers in Vietnam, Ukraine, Guatemala, Turkey, or Uzbekistan.

What are the origins of helium beer?

The origins of helium beer can be traced back to April 1, 2014, when Stone Brewing posted a satirical news release introducing the world to Cr(He)am Ale, a cream ale with helium, in 16-oz cans. The news release, which included suggested food pairings, looked like any other and even announced that the beer was available at select retailers, restaurants, and bars nationwide. However, the release date was April Fool's Day, indicating that it was all a joke.

The following year, on March 31, 2015, Die BierProbierer posted a video on YouTube titled "Helium Beer Test," which showed two guys allegedly drinking helium beer and experiencing a noticeable change in their voices. This video went viral and was replicated by dozens of Facebook publishers worldwide. This further fueled the fire of the helium beer phenomenon.

Prior to these incidents, there is evidence of a similar prank by Boston Beer in the form of "HeliYUM" beer, as well as a hoax email from 1994 about "Suiso," a hydrogen-infused product by the fictional Asaka Beer Corporation.

Despite the scientific impossibility of infusing beer with helium, the prank by Stone Brewing and the subsequent video by Die BierProbierer sparked a worldwide demand for helium beer, with people inquiring about purchasing and shipping options.

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