German Monks Miraculously Turn Water Into Ale By Creating… Powdered Beer

Klosterbrauerei Neuzelle Brewery, tied to a monastery in Germany, may have just figured out how to turn water into ale in mere seconds: powdered beer. Before you balk at the idea, just imagine how convenient it’d be if beer were as readily available as instant coffee.

According to New Atlas, the recipe works by just adding water to the powder and waiting for it to froth up. And ta-da, there’s now a pint of beer to drink—complete with the signature foamy head.

Aside from saving consumers the trouble of going down to the store to grab a can or heading to the bar, having a beer in powdered form could lower the cost of the beloved beverage, considering the dry product can be shipped at just 10% of its regular weight.

As per The Drink Business, the brewery hopes the innovation could prove to be an eco-friendly way of lowering the carbon footprint of beer drinkers worldwide, claiming that Germany alone could save 3% to 5% of its emissions.

If you’re looking to hit back a few pints of powdered beer at the next get-together, here’s the catch. At the moment, the drink is alcohol-free, though the company has plans to develop an entire range of flavors, including alcoholic ones, going forward.

Managing Director Stefan Fritsche admitted that classic beer drinkers are likely to be skeptical of the product at first, but emphasizes that the project isn’t just about introducing a new drink, but about disrupting the entire beer market altogether.

Perhaps there may soon be no more need for keg stands, and partygoers can just rely on sachets of beer instead for a night out on the town.

[via New Atlas and The Drinks Business, cover image via Marbenzu | Dreamstime.com]