Asahi Shuzo, the brewery behind the renowned Dassai sake brand, is taking its craft to space. In 2025, the company plans to send essential ingredients—Yamada Nishiki rice, koji mold, yeast, and water—to the International Space Station (ISS) to produce a single bottle of sake as part of a unique fermentation experiment.
The resulting 100ml bottle, named “Dassai MOON – Space Brew,” will be brought back to Earth and sold for ¥100 million (approximately $650,000). According to the company, all proceeds will be donated to support future Japanese space exploration projects.
This experiment is part of Asahi Shuzo’s broader vision of brewing sake on the Moon. With discussions about lunar colonization in the 2040s, the company hopes to eventually craft sake using lunar water and rice, offering a taste of home for future lunar tourists or residents.
“This project aims to create sake that can be enjoyed on the Moon, allowing visitors to have delightful moments there,” said Souya Uetsuki, the brewer leading the project.
Before exploring lunar brewing, the company will study how fermentation occurs under conditions that mimic lunar gravity—about one-sixth of Earth’s gravity. Specialized equipment is being developed to address the unique challenges of brewing in space and to ensure the process maintains quality.
Sake was chosen for the experiment due to the practicality of using rice as its main ingredient, which is lighter and easier to transport than other options like grapes used in wine production. However, Asahi Shuzo acknowledges that success is not guaranteed, as low-gravity conditions may introduce unexpected challenges.
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