Helium Beer: Where To Buy And What To Know

Helium beer has been the subject of fascination ever since Stone Brewing Co. announced its Stochasticity Project Cr(He)am Ale with helium in April 2014. The internet went crazy over videos of people drinking what looked like ordinary beer and then speaking in high-pitched voices. But is helium beer real, and can you buy it?

Unfortunately, it's not possible to create beer infused with helium. Helium isn't soluble in water or beer, and it turns from liquid to gas at -220°F, so adding it to beer would result in a block of ice. So, despite some websites claiming to reveal the secrets of how to buy or even make helium beer, it remains a myth.

Helium beer is a hoax

The hoax was so convincing that it even caught the attention of the urban legend website Snopes, which found that it was, indeed, a prank. Despite this, the myth of helium beer persisted, with people continuing to ask where they could buy it.

The main reason helium beer is impossible is that helium is not soluble in water. Therefore, you can't carbonate beer with helium like you can with carbon dioxide or nitrogen. Additionally, adding liquid helium would be impossible, as it turns from liquid to gas at -220°F, which would result in frozen beer. Even if you could add helium to beer, it would cause gushing because helium is not soluble in beer.

So, while the idea of helium beer might be intriguing, it is nothing more than a hoax, and a violation of the laws of thermodynamics and physical chemistry.

It was an April Fool's joke

In April 2014, Stone Brewing Co. announced the launch of a new beer: Stochasticity Project Cr(He)am Ale with Helium. The announcement was accompanied by a video in which Stone's Rick Blankemeier and Mitch Steele discussed the beer in detail, giving an in-depth scientific explanation of how they had managed to add helium to beer. The video was released on April 1st, 2014—April Fool's Day.

The following year, on March 31st, 2015 (the day before April Fool's Day), a YouTube channel called Die BierProbierer posted a video titled "Helium Beer Test". The video showed two men drinking a beer and their voices changing in the same way as if they'd inhaled helium. The video went viral, racking up millions of views and sparking a worldwide demand for helium beer.

However, it is scientifically impossible to make beer with helium. Helium is not soluble in water, so it cannot be added to beer. Even if it could be added, it would cause the beer to gush. Furthermore, liquid helium has a temperature of -220°F, so adding it to beer would result in a frozen block of beer-coloured ice.

Despite the scientific impossibility of helium beer, the prank was so believable that it caught the eye of the urban legend website Snopes, which concluded that it was "just a bunch of hot air".

It's not scientifically possible

The idea of helium beer started as an April Fool's Day joke by Stone Brewing Co. in 2014. They released a video announcing the launch of their Stochasticity Project Cr(He)am Ale with helium. The video caused a lot of excitement and curiosity, with people wondering if it was real and where they could buy it. However, the concept of helium beer is not scientifically possible, and here's why:

Firstly, helium is not soluble in water, and since beer is a water-based liquid, it means that helium cannot be dissolved in beer. This is a fundamental issue because carbonation in beer, the fizziness that we all know and love, is achieved by dissolving carbon dioxide or nitrogen in the beer. Without the ability to dissolve in the beer, there is no way for helium to carbonate it.

Secondly, even if we consider adding liquid helium to beer, it presents another major problem. Liquid helium has an extremely low boiling point and turns into a gas at -220°F. Adding liquid helium to beer would instantly freeze the beer, resulting in a frozen beverage instead of a refreshing drink.

Thirdly, let's assume for a moment that we somehow managed to add helium to beer. In that case, the beer would start gushing and create jets of water. This is again due to the insolubility of helium in beer. The helium would not stay dissolved and would cause the beer to become unstable and uncontrollably spray out.

Finally, it's important to consider the safety implications of consuming helium. While it might seem fun to have a high-pitched voice after inhaling helium from a balloon, it can be dangerous. Inhaling helium displaces oxygen, which is crucial for our bodies. Depriving your body of oxygen, even for a few minutes, can lead to serious health issues and even death.

In conclusion, while the idea of helium beer might seem intriguing, it is not scientifically possible due to the unique properties of helium and the way it interacts with water and beer. The laws of thermodynamics and physical chemistry simply do not allow for the creation of drinkable helium beer, despite the creative attempts by brewers and enthusiasts.

It's not available in the market

Helium beer is not available in the market. It is a hoax that was started by Stone Brewing Co. in an April Fool's Day prank in 2014. The prank video, which showed two men drinking beer and speaking in high-pitched voices, has since gone viral, with many people believing that the beer is real and trying to hunt it down.

The beer was marketed as Stone Stochasticity Project "Cr (He) am Ale with helium", and the video featured Stone's Rick Blankemeier and Mitch Steele speaking convincingly about the science behind the beer. However, helium beer is not scientifically possible for several reasons:

• Helium is not soluble in water, so it cannot be used to carbonate beer like carbon dioxide or nitrogen.
• Adding liquid helium to beer would be impossible, as it turns from liquid to gas at -220°F, resulting in frozen beer.
• Even if helium could be added to beer, it would cause gushing because helium is not soluble in beer.

Despite the clear scientific explanation, some people still believe that helium beer is real and continue to search for it. This is likely due to the highly convincing nature of the prank video and the fact that the videos were published on a credible platform. Additionally, the idea of a beer that can elevate both happiness and the pitch of one's voice is intriguing and appealing to many people.

While it is technically possible to infuse helium into a beer, the process is not feasible due to the laws of thermodynamics and physical chemistry. Therefore, helium beer does not exist and is not available for purchase.

You can try making it at home

It is important to note that helium beer is not real and is a myth. It is not scientifically possible, as helium is not soluble in water or beer. Adding liquid helium would freeze the beer, and even if helium could be added, it would cause gushing.

However, if you are feeling adventurous and want to try making helium beer at home, there are some things you can do. Firstly, you can try replacing the nitrogen or carbon dioxide typically used to carbonate beer with helium. This method is similar to how some beer brands use nitrogen instead of carbon dioxide. However, it is important to note that the solubility levels of helium and nitrogen are not the same, and this method may not produce a drinkable beer.

Another way to attempt making helium beer at home is to follow the traditional beer-making process but add helium during the packaging stage. This can be done by adding helium to the bottle before the natural release of carbon dioxide pushes the bubbles upwards, forming the foam topping. Small producers tend to use a pressure tank to infuse helium into the beer, and a pressure of 7 psi above atmospheric pressure will allow 40 parts per million of helium to remain in the solution, providing a good head and creamy texture.

It is worth noting that the process of creating a drinkable helium beer is challenging and may not be feasible. The laws of thermodynamics and physical chemistry restrict the possibility of making helium beer as showcased in popular videos. Additionally, the equipment required, such as large stainless steel tanks for high volumes of beer, may be costly and difficult to acquire.

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