Helium Beer: Where To Buy In The Uk

Helium beer is not for sale in the UK. In fact, it's not possible to buy it anywhere in the world. The concept of helium beer began as an April Fool's Day joke in 2014, when Samuel Adams released a video announcing the release of HeliYUM, a radical, extreme new beer that leverages the wonderful properties of helium. The video shows the brewmaster's voice going up an octave, as if he had sucked in helium. Despite being a hoax, the video went viral, and many people still search for this unique brew.

Helium beer is a hoax

In April 2014, Stone Brewing Co. announced the release of Stochasticity Project Cr(He)am Ale with Helium. The video announcement was presented by Rick Blankemeier and Mitch Steele, who went into a deep scientific discussion about the beer. However, the video was released on April 1st—April Fool's Day.

The very same day, Boston Beer Company's Samuel Adams PR team also posted an April Fool's video announcing the release of HeliYum, a "radical, extreme new beer that leverages the wonderful properties of helium".

These videos sparked a wave of excitement and curiosity, with people eager to get their hands on this unique brew. However, the beers were nothing more than clever hoaxes.

The idea of helium beer is simply not scientifically possible. Here's why:

Firstly, helium is not soluble in water or beer. Carbonation of beer with helium is not possible, unlike with carbon dioxide or nitrogen.

Secondly, adding liquid helium to beer is impossible because it turns from liquid to gas at -220°F, which would instantly freeze the beer.

Finally, even if helium could be added to beer, it would cause gushing due to its insolubility in beer.

Despite the hoax being debunked multiple times, the myth of helium beer persists, with people still inquiring about its availability and even conducting experiments to create it. However, the laws of physics and chemistry dictate that helium beer is a scientific impossibility.

So, while the idea of a beer that makes your voice high-pitched is intriguing, helium beer remains firmly in the realm of fantasy, alongside the Loch Ness Monster and unicorns.

It started as an April Fool's Day joke

It started as an April Fools' Day joke. On April 1, 2014, Stone Brewing released a video news announcement about its new cream ale with helium, the Stochasticity Project Cr(He)am Ale. The video, which was just under four minutes long, featured Stone's Rick Blankemeier and Mitch Steele engaging in some deep science talk about the ale. The news release also included suggested food pairings, from pickled herring and deep-fried mozzarella sticks to Twinkies and Kraft singles.

That same day, the Boston Beer Company's Samuel Adams PR team also posted an April Fools' video announcing the release of HeliYum, a "radical, extreme new beer that leverages the wonderful properties of helium". The video showed Samuel Adams brewmaster and founder Jim Cook talking about the "lighter mouthfeel" of helium beer before his voice went up an octave as if he had sucked in helium after taking a drink.

The videos from Stone Brewing and Samuel Adams quickly went viral, with YouTube comments filled with people eager to try this unique brew. However, articles soon began circulating that debunked the idea of helium-infused beer as a hoax. Despite this, the prank continued to capture the imagination of beer enthusiasts around the world, with people continuing to email beer websites to ask where they could buy it.

So, while helium beer started as an April Fools' joke, it seems that many people would be keen to try it if it were real!

It's scientifically impossible

The idea of helium beer is impossible according to the laws of science. There are several reasons why this is the case.

Firstly, helium is not soluble in water, and therefore not soluble in beer. Carbonation of beer is achieved by dissolving carbon dioxide or nitrogen in the beverage, which cannot be done with helium.

Secondly, liquid helium only exists at extremely low temperatures, turning into a gas at -220°F. Adding liquid helium to beer would therefore freeze the beer.

Finally, even if helium could somehow be added to beer, it would cause gushing due to its insolubility in the liquid.

The concept of helium beer originated as an April Fool's Day joke by Stone Brewing Co. in 2014, with a satirical ad for "Stochasticity Project Cr(He)am Ale with Helium". The prank sparked widespread interest and curiosity, with many people eager to try the unique brew. However, despite its popularity, the laws of science dictate that helium beer is simply not possible.

While it may seem like a fun and intriguing idea, the scientific impossibility of infusing helium into beer means that any hopes of finding or purchasing such a product are unfortunately futile.

It would be impossible to bottle

The idea of helium beer first started as an April Fool's Day joke by Stone Brewing Co. in 2014, announcing their Stochasticity Project Cr(He)am Ale with helium. The prank was so believable that it even caught the eye of the urban legend website Snopes. However, it is impossible to create helium beer due to several reasons.

Firstly, helium is not soluble in water or beer. Carbonation of beer with helium is not possible, unlike with carbon dioxide or nitrogen. Moreover, liquid helium turns into gas at -220°F, so adding it to beer would result in frozen beer. Even if helium could be added, it would cause gushing because helium is not soluble in beer.

The solubility levels of helium and nitrogen are relatively similar, so a helium beer could be possible in theory. However, the helium does not dissolve but instead piggybacks on the carbon dioxide naturally present in the beer, resulting in larger and faster-rising bubbles. This process would make it impossible to bottle helium beer, and it would not have the typical beer fizz.

While the concept of helium beer may capture the imagination, it remains just that—an imaginative idea. The laws of science and physics stand in the way of creating this unique brew, and it is unlikely to show up in bottle shops or pubs anytime soon.

It's not for sale in the UK

The Boston Beer Company's Samuel Adams also released a prank video that same day, announcing the release of HeliYum, a "radical, extreme new beer that leverages the wonderful properties of helium". In the video, Samuel Adams brewmaster and founder Jim Cook talks about the "lighter mouthfeel" of helium beer before his voice goes up an octave, as if he has sucked in helium.

The following year, the hoax was recycled when Berkshire Brewing Company "introduced" its new helium-infused beer, "Heliump IPA". Internet pranksters Alex & Ralf of the Die BierProbierer podcast also released a German-language "review" of the Sam Adams product.

While it is technically possible to create helium beer, it is not for sale to the public. The team at Chemical & Engineering News' Newscripts page demonstrated that it was possible to create a milk stout with helium. However, the beer had a "creamy, stable, well-proportioned head" and was a little flat. Most importantly, it did not raise the pitch of the drinkers' voices.

Frequently asked questions