Arabella Franco
Helium beer is a mythical product of an April Fool's Day prank by Stone Brewing Co. in 2014. The prank involved a video announcement of the release of Cr(He)am Ale, a cream ale with helium, in 16-ounce cans. The video showed people drinking the beer and their voices changing in the same way as if they had sucked on helium. Despite being a hoax, the video went viral, and many people were left wondering where they could buy the beer. While it is scientifically impossible to infuse helium into beer, Chemical & Engineering News' Newscripts page published an article demonstrating a potential method. However, this experiment has not led to the commercial availability of helium beer, and it remains a fictional product. So, while the beer may have captured the imagination of many, it is safe to say that you cannot buy helium beer in Ohio or anywhere else.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Can you buy helium beer in Ohio? | No |
| Is helium beer real? | No |
| What is helium beer? | Beer infused with helium gas |
| Why is helium beer not possible? | Helium is not soluble in water or beer and adding liquid helium would freeze the beer |
| What started the demand for helium beer? | Stone Brewing Co.'s April 2014 announcement about Stochasticity Project Cr(He)am Ale with Helium |
What You'll Learn
Helium beer is an April Fool's joke
The same day, Samuel Adams of the Boston Beer Company released an April Fool's video announcing HeliYum, a "radical, extreme new beer that leverages the wonderful properties of helium." This video, along with Stone Brewing's, sparked the helium beer trend and led to numerous copycat videos and articles. These videos showed people drinking helium beer and their voices changing in the same way as if they had sucked in helium. The videos quickly went viral, with the Samuel Adams video receiving millions of views.
Despite the hype, helium beer is not real and is scientifically impossible. Helium is not soluble in water or beer, so it cannot be used for carbonation like carbon dioxide or nitrogen. Additionally, liquid helium turns into gas at -220°F, which would freeze the beer. Even if helium could be added to beer, it would cause gushing due to its insolubility.
While it may seem like a fun idea, helium beer is nothing more than an April Fool's joke that captured the imagination of beer lovers worldwide. So, while you may be disappointed that you can't buy it in Ohio or anywhere else, it's important to remember that it's just a prank and not a real product.
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It's not possible to buy helium beer in Ohio or anywhere else
However, helium beer is not real and is scientifically impossible to create. Helium is not soluble in water or beer, so it cannot be used to carbonate the beer like carbon dioxide or nitrogen. Additionally, liquid helium turns into gas at -220°F, which would freeze the beer. Even if you could somehow add helium to beer, it would cause gushing because, again, helium is not soluble.
Despite the hoax being debunked by scientists and media outlets, the myth of helium beer persists, with people still searching for it and asking where they can buy it. While it may seem like a fun and innovative idea, unfortunately, it is just a joke and not a real product that you can purchase. So, if you're looking for a beer that will give you a funny, high-pitched voice, you'll have to look elsewhere or stick to inhaling helium from balloons!
While you can't get helium beer, there are plenty of other interesting and unique beers on the market. From beers infused with genuine lunar meteorite dust to pizza-flavoured brews, the craft beer world is always pushing boundaries and experimenting with new flavours and ingredients. So, while helium beer may be off the table, there are still plenty of exciting options to explore and enjoy.
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Stone Brewing Co. was behind the original helium beer prank
The video from Stone Brewing added to the confusion and speculation surrounding helium beer, which had been sparked earlier that same day by a similar video from the Boston Beer Company's Samuel Adams PR team. In their video, founder Jim Koch presented HeliYum, a "radical, extreme new beer that leverages the wonderful properties of helium." Koch took a sip of the beer, and his voice became high-pitched, as if he had inhaled helium.
The Stone Brewing video took a more earnest tone, with Blankemeier and Steele engaging in almost four minutes of deep science talk about the supposed new beer. They claimed that the addition of helium to the cream ale gave it an "ultra-smooth mouthfeel and a mild tingle in the finish." The video also stated that the beer was available in select markets nationwide.
The prank video from Stone Brewing quickly went viral, with craft beer enthusiasts around the world expressing their eagerness to try the unique brew. The video was so convincing that it sparked a wave of emails to craft beer websites from curious customers, all desperate to get their hands on some helium beer. The hype even led to copycat videos from other companies and internet pranksters, keeping the helium beer myth alive.
Despite the scientific impossibility of helium beer (due to helium's insolubility in water), the prank sparked a wave of interest and excitement among beer lovers. It tapped into a desire for innovative and unusual craft beer creations, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. While Stone Brewing's helium beer prank may have fooled many, it also showcased the creativity and playful side of the craft beer industry, always pushing the boundaries of what a beer can be.
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The science behind why helium beer isn't possible
Despite the viral videos and hype, helium beer is not scientifically possible. The idea of a beer that makes your voice high-pitched is intriguing, but it remains a fantasy due to the chemical properties of helium.
Firstly, helium is not soluble in water, and therefore, it is not soluble in beer. This means you cannot carbonate beer with helium like you can with carbon dioxide or nitrogen. Carbonation is essential for creating the fizz in beer, and helium simply cannot dissolve into the liquid. Compared to carbon dioxide, helium is about 700 times less soluble. Only 0.0016 g of helium can dissolve into a liter of beer, while 2.5 grams of CO2 can.
Secondly, adding liquid helium to beer is impossible because liquid helium has an extremely low boiling point. It turns from liquid to gas at -220°F, which would instantly freeze the beer. Even if you could somehow add helium to beer without freezing it, the helium would cause gushing as it escapes from the liquid, resulting in a mess rather than a refreshing beverage.
Some creative scientists have attempted to find a way around these challenges. A team from Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN) tried an experiment where they swapped out the carbon dioxide tank typically used for carbonation with a helium tank. They found that while the helium did not dissolve, it rode on the carbon dioxide naturally present in the beer, making the bubbles bigger and faster-rising. However, this method did not change the pitch of their voices or belches.
In conclusion, while the idea of helium beer captured the imagination of many, it remains a scientific impossibility due to the chemical properties of helium. Unless a way is discovered to violate the laws of thermodynamics and physical chemistry, helium beer will remain a myth.
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Similar prank product announcements by other brewers
While helium beer isn't real, it has been the subject of many April Fool's pranks by brewers over the years. In 2014, Stone Brewing posted a satirical news release for Cr(He)am Ale, a cream ale with helium, in 16-oz cans. The release included food pairing suggestions, such as Twinkies, Funyuns, and Kraft singles.
The following year, on March 31, 2015, Die BierProbierer posted a German-language "review" of Samuel Adams' HeliYum beer, which had been announced in a satirical ad by the Boston Beer Company the previous year. This sparked a wave of copycat videos and articles, with brewers like Berkshire Brewing Company also joining in on the prank.
Kingfisher also pulled an April Fool's prank in 2019 by announcing Kingfisher Instant Beer Mix, claiming that customers could simply add water to create beer. The campaign went viral, with over half a million views and 70,000 shares across social media platforms.
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Frequently asked questions
No, you cannot buy helium beer in Ohio or anywhere else. Helium beer is a myth and an April Fool's Day joke.
On April 1, 2014, Samuel Adams' founder, Jim Koch, presented a new type of beer called HeliYUM. In a video, Koch took a sip of HeliYUM, and his voice became high-pitched, purportedly showing the effect of helium beer. On the same day, Stone Brewing Company also uploaded a similar video about helium beer, further spreading the myth.
No, it is not possible to make helium beer. Helium is not soluble in water or beer, so it cannot be used to carbonate beer like carbon dioxide or nitrogen. Additionally, liquid helium turns into gas at -220°F, which would freeze the beer.
People are intrigued by the idea of a beer that can make your voice high-pitched, similar to inhaling helium from a balloon. The viral videos and the believable pranks by beer companies have fueled the demand for helium beer.
