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Helium beer is a hoax that has gained popularity through viral videos and April Fool's Day jokes. The concept of helium-infused beer is intriguing to many, but it is important to know that it does not actually exist and is scientifically impossible. Helium is not soluble in water, and adding it to beer would not change its taste or give you a high-pitched voice. While you won't find true helium-infused beer for sale in Las Vegas or anywhere else, there are plenty of unique and novelty beers with unusual ingredients and aging processes that can offer a fun and unusual drinking experience.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Is helium beer real? | No, it's a hoax. |
Is helium beer for sale? | No, it's not for sale anywhere in the US. |
Is it possible to brew helium beer? | No, it's scientifically impossible. |
Why is helium beer impossible to brew? | Helium is not soluble in water, so it can't be used to carbonate beer. Liquid helium is also impossible to add to beer as it turns from liquid to gas at -220°F/-452°F, which would freeze the beer. |
How did the helium beer hoax start? | The hoax began with viral videos released on April 1, 2014, by Jim Koch, co-founder of The Boston Beer Company, and Rick Blankemeier, quality assurance manager at Stone Brewing Co. |
Which companies have pretended to brew helium beer? | Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Company), Stone Brewing Co., and Berkshire Brewing Company. |
What You'll Learn
Helium beer is a hoax
The hoax first began circulating in 2014 when the Boston Beer Company's Samuel Adams PR team and Stone Brewing released videos announcing the release of helium-infused beers. The videos were satirical and meant as an April Fool's Day prank, but they quickly went viral, with many people expressing interest in trying the unique brew. This sparked a trend, with other breweries and internet pranksters creating similar hoax videos and articles that further fuelled the idea that helium beer was a real product.
However, helium beer is a scientific impossibility. Helium is not soluble in water, so it cannot be used to carbonate beer like carbon dioxide or nitrogen. Additionally, liquid helium turns into gas at extremely low temperatures (-220°F or -452°F, depending on the source), so adding it to beer would result in the beer freezing. Even if you could somehow add helium to beer, it would cause gushing because helium is not soluble and would not stay in the beer.
While it might be fun to imagine a beer that makes your voice high-pitched, helium beer exists only in the realm of hoax videos and April Fool's Day jokes. It is not a real product and cannot be purchased, no matter how many people wish it were true.
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It's impossible to make
The idea of helium beer gained popularity through a series of viral videos and prank news releases, particularly from major breweries like Stone Brewing Co. and The Boston Beer Company. These videos and releases often coincided with April Fool's Day, and they depicted people drinking beer and their voices changing in the same way as if they had inhaled helium. However, the concept of helium beer is not scientifically possible, and the videos were staged for entertainment.
The main issue with the concept of helium beer is that helium is not soluble in water, and therefore, it cannot be used to carbonate beer like carbon dioxide or nitrogen can. Carbonation is a crucial part of the brewing process, and without it, the beer would be flat. Even if you could add helium to beer, it would cause gushing because helium is not soluble.
Another problem is that liquid helium only exists at extremely low temperatures, turning from liquid to gas at -220°F (-452°F according to another source). Achieving these temperatures for beer is not only impractical but also very expensive. If you attempted to add liquid helium to beer, you would end up freezing the beer solid.
While the idea of helium beer is certainly amusing, it remains firmly in the realm of myth and hoax. It is essential to understand that the science behind beer-making and the solubility of gases do not support the possibility of creating helium-infused beer.
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It started as an April Fool's prank
It started as an April Fools' prank. Back in 2014, Stone Brewing posted a news release introducing Cr(He)am Ale, a cream ale with helium, in 16-oz cans. The news release looked legitimate at first glance, with suggested food pairings and a scientific-sounding name. However, the video was posted on April 1st, April Fool's Day, and it was all just an elaborate joke.
The idea of helium beer is simple: drink a beer, and when you talk, your voice sounds like you just inhaled helium. While this may be a fun concept, it is nothing more than a hoax. The science behind it just doesn't add up. Helium is not soluble in water, so it cannot be used to carbonate beer like carbon dioxide or nitrogen. Even if you could add liquid helium to beer, it would freeze the beer solid as it turns from liquid to gas at -220°F/-452°F.
Despite the scientific impracticality, the myth of helium beer persisted, fuelled by viral videos and enthusiastic beer enthusiasts. The Boston Beer Co-founder Jim Koch and quality assurance manager at Stone Brewing Co., Rick Blankemeier, released videos featuring their ""HeliYum" and "Cr(He)am Ale", claiming these beers would give drinkers high-pitched voices. These videos sparked a tradition of brewery helium beer ads, with companies like Berkshire Brewing joining in on the joke.
Even though helium beer doesn't exist, there are plenty of unique and novelty beers out there to explore. From beers with unusual ingredients like spices, fruits, and chili peppers to aging beer in different types of barrels for unique flavors, craft breweries, specialty liquor stores, and beer festivals offer a wide range of specialty beers to discover. So, while you may not be able to find helium beer in Las Vegas or anywhere else, there are still plenty of interesting brews to try!
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It's not for sale anywhere
Helium beer is nothing but a hoax, and it's impossible for it ever to become a reality. Helium is not soluble in water, therefore it’s not soluble in beer. You can’t carbonate beer with helium like you can with carbon dioxide or nitrogen. Adding liquid helium would be impossible as it turns from liquid to gas at -220°F or 452°F. You’d end up freezing your beer. Even if you could somehow add helium to beer, it would cause gushing because (again) helium is not soluble in beer.
Helium gas quickly dissipates. If you pumped helium into beer and then gulped down the drink, it’s doubtful as to whether you could get enough helium in your mouth to change your voice. People who want to hear their voice get to a high pitch usually gulp down helium from a balloon.
The idea of a brewery helium beer ad has become a bit of a tradition. In 2015, Berkshire Brewing Company shared a video of its Helium IPA that opened with an open beer bottle slowly filling a balloon. Stone Brewing Co. released a video in 2014, and Die BierProbierer posted another in 2015, that's still raking in the views.
Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Company) and Stone Brewing Co. are the two biggest names that have pretended to brew helium beer, but tons of microbreweries have done the same thing in an attempt to get their brand on the map.
So, beer lovers, if you’ve been holding your breath that someone would make this hoax a reality, the sad fact is that it never will be. The best you could do is put helium in the top of a can of beer before sealing it, but all that would do is allow you to suck the helium out as soon as you open it. It’d be a one-time party trick that wouldn’t have any effect on the taste of the beer, and it’d be hard to pull off.
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There are novelty beers with unusual ingredients
Helium beer is not real – it's a myth. It's not scientifically possible, as helium is not soluble in water and would not carbonate beer. Even if you could add helium to beer, it would freeze the liquid, and cause gushing.
However, there are novelty beers with unusual ingredients. Here are some examples:
Fungus Shui by Meadow Lark Brewing
This beer is a golden ale with Candy Cap mushrooms. In this day and age, mushroom beers might not seem that extreme, but Candy Caps don't taste like mushrooms. They taste like high-end maple syrup. The beer is golden in colour and has a lovely flavour.
Oyster Stout by The Porterhouse Brewing Co.
This popular Irish oyster stout is made by shucking raw oysters directly into the conditioning tank. Thankfully, the beer doesn't taste like a mouthful of briny bivalve juice; instead, the oysters leave behind a subtle salty-sweet taste.
Big Ass Money Stout by Evil Twin and Lervig Aktiebryggeri
This beer was made in collaboration with a popular Norwegian brewery. It was made with frozen Hawaiian pizza and money (using real Norwegian banknotes). Even though you'd think this combo would be gross, the final product boasted rich coffee notes and a high 20% alcohol by volume.
Snake Venom by Brewmeister
Snake Venom is a super-strong beer at 67.5% alcohol. It's made with beer and champagne yeast on peated beer before being ice-distilled several times.
Pisner by Nørrebro Bryghus
Attendees of Denmark's Roskilde music festival in 2015 may be surprised to hear their pee was likely used to make this beer. More than 50,000 gallons of urine from the festival were collected and used to fertilize malted barley that was then harvested and turned into Pisner, the world's first beer made with human pee.
Full Circle Pale Ale by Stone Brewing
During a statewide drought, San Diego-based Stone Brewing used recycled wastewater to make their Full Circle Pale Ale. The water was treated, so it was 100% safe and delicious to drink.
Beard Beer by Rogue Ales
Oregon's Rogue Ales Beard Beer was made with yeast grown in now-retired head brewer John Maier's beard. What started out as a joke ended up being true: there was good stuff hidden in his beard. After testing nine beard hairs, they found wild beard yeast, which gave this weird brew a pineapple-y flavour.
Un, Kono Kuro by Sankt Gallen Brewery
This sought-after Japanese brew was made by fermenting coffee beans that had passed through the digestive systems of Thai elephants.
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Frequently asked questions
Helium beer is a hoax. It's a myth. You won't find true helium-infused beer for sale anywhere, including Las Vegas.
Yes, those videos are staged for entertainment. The concept of helium beer is scientifically impractical.
Yes, there are beers with unusual ingredients like spices, fruits, and even chili peppers. Some breweries experiment with aging beer in different types of barrels for unique flavors. You may be able to find these specialty beers at local craft breweries, specialty liquor stores, or beer festivals.
If you're looking for an unusual experience, you might want to try a sour beer or a Rauchbier, a German beer with a smoky taste. Barrel-aged stouts or porters can also offer complex flavors with hints of bourbon or vanilla.