Craft brewer Isekado has announced the launch of its “Space Brewing Project” mission, to open up space as the final frontier for fermentation.
Japanese craft brewery, Isekado of Mie Prefecture, has unveiled an ambitious plan to brew beer in space, partnering with Nagoya-based Takazago Electric, a specialist in aerospace fluid systems.
The endeavour, dubbed the “Space Brewing Project”, plans to stage Japan’s first beer fermentation experiment aboard the International Space Station (ISS), utilising the Japanese experiment module Kibo (“Hope”), Japan’s first human space facility and the largest module on the ISS, to explore the effects of microgravity on yeast.
Central to the venture is the question of how yeast behaves in weightless conditions. The project organisers maintain that mastering fermentation in microgravity is key to enabling sustainable food production during prolonged manned missions in space. In their press briefing, they emphasised that a deeper understanding of yeast responses under such extreme conditions “will be essential to supporting quality of life” in any lengthy space voyage or settlement.
Isekado will dispatch one of its own award-winning proprietary yeast strains into orbit, with fermentation carried out in a bespoke vessel engineered by Toyo Seikan Group Holdings to endure pressure and temperature shifts. Technical support is further bolstered by Kirin Brewery, underscoring a spirit of national collaboration.
Once the space-fermentation run concludes and the sample returns to Earth, the research team will scrutinise alterations to the yeast’s behaviour and metabolism. The cultivated “space yeast” will then be used to brew a limited batch of beer on Earth.
Beyond its scientific merit, the project could spark novel drinking experiences in the future such as enjoying a “space craft beer” whilst in orbit or as a space tourist. To finance the vision into reality, funds are being sourced through Campfire, Japan’s leading crowdfunding platform, with contributors receiving the limited-edition space-brewed beer as a reward, assuming the project goes according to plan.
The undertaking aligns strongly with Isekado’s broader identity as an experimental, research-oriented craft brewery. Since its founding, Isekado has emphasised its yeast research, isolating wild strains, pursuing genetic yeast development, and collaborating with academic institutions and industry in Japan. The company’s brewing facility, established in 2018, integrates advanced instrumentation and analytical systems to support rigorous investigation.
This will not be first space brewing experiment. US firm Starbase Brewing recently sent a fermentation experiment (MicroBrew-1) and a barley cultivation experiment (OASIS) to the ISS to study brewing processes and agriculture under microgravity.
Meanwhile, in Japan, the DASSAI MOON Project is already underway by sake brewer Dassai and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to brew sake in space. The project, which began in 2024, has the long-term goal of building a brewery on the moon and is currently conducting its first phase of brewing experimentation on the ISS.
