| Space Hops Stolen Hops seeds that were taken into space last year and were brought back to Earth last month on the space shuttle Discovery have gone missing according to the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the group responsible for them. The seeds entrusted to JAXA by a Tokyo-based science education venture were taken to the International Space Station in August last year and were stored inside Japan's Kibo laboratory module in space until Discovery's flight supposedly back them home. But JAXA has been notified by NASA that the 120 grams of soybeans, hops and other seeds were missing whent the module was opened despite records showing they were brought back to Earth by the shuttle. JAXA officials said the organization will investigate what happened. The project aimed to study the impact of zero-gravity on the taste and smell of the plants. After the experiment, the hops were supposed to be given to one of the leading Japanese brewers, Sapporo. Sapporo denies receiving the hops and has launched it's own investigation. No monetary value has been placed on the space hops but a single Moon rock has been valued at nearly $5 million. |
| Oktoberfest Beer Munich’s Oktoberfest will charge 2.5 percent more for beer this year on average, though U.S. tourists planning a trip to the 200-year-old beer festival may still get a break because of the Euro’s slide against the dollar. Breweries will charge between 8.30 Euros ($10.20) and 8.90 Euros for a liter, or “mass,” of beer -- equivalent to about a quarter gallon -- at this year’s Oktoberfest from Sept. 18 to Oct. 4. Last year’s prices ranged from 8.10 Euros to 8.60 euros. The price increase defies near-zero inflation as the German economy struggles to grow. Still, the European debt crisis may ease the financial burden on Lederhosen-clad beer lovers exchanging dollars because the single currency has lost 16 percent of its value against dollar since Oktoberfest 2009. On the final day of last year’s Oktoberfest, Oct. 4, a beer set a U.S. tourist back as much as $12.54. Based on today’s trading, a beer sold at this year’s Oktoberfest would cost no more than $10.95 at the high end of the range. Oktoberfest was first celebrated in 1810, to honor Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig’s marriage to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen. The festival was gradually moved into September to take advantage of the warmer weather. About 6.5 million liters of beer and 111 oxen were consumed at last year’s beer festival, which generated 800 million Euros in revenue. |
Feature News from beernexus.com
| Beer Really Does Make You Happy People who drink two pints of beer or glasses of wine a day are healthier and happier than teetotallers, according to a recent study by the Public Assistance Hospitals of Paris. Beer and wine lovers are not as stressed, had lower blood pressure, better heart and lung health and were less likely to suffer from depression, the study shows. All drinkers tend to exercise more. Alcohol thins the blood, improving circulation, and acts as a relaxant, boosting wellbeing, the French team said. They speculated that moderate drinkers may have better general health and a lower risk of heart disease. Although they admitted they could not prove the benefits were just down to booze, they added: "Our results cannot eliminate the cardio-protective effect of alcohol." Dr Boris Hansel and his team from the Public Assistance Hospitals of Paris analysed the lifestyles and drinking habits of thousands of men and women over 18. World Health Organization Complains Beer and liquor companies that market alcohol to underage drinkers on social media networks such as Facebook are coming under fire from the World Health Organization. Absolut vodka and Smirnoff Ice have nearly 500,000 Facebook fans each, and Heineken boasts 400,000 users who "like" the beer. Major brewers say their presence on social networks in no way promotes underage drinking. |
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Edited by Jim Attacap
