How would the environment and gravity of the Moon change the way i would brew beer on the Moon?

Question

Would a Micro-Brewry even work in such a hostile enviroment?

Irish.....not German.

Answer 1

The micro brewer would work on the moon.

The vacuum would have an effect on very little since the brewery unit has to be sealed and under pressure. you could use an exposed electrically heated element, but it would be best to enclose it as well.

The fermentation process would happen normally as well because it to would be under pressure. You could add CO2 to give it foam and fizz because that too is done under pressure.

The problem is when you tried to pour it. The pressure difference would give you an explosive stream of beer.

Heating and cooling would be complicated by the direct exposure to the sun, but you could work in the shadow of a crater to control that.

If you tired to brew your beer without having it under pressure then you wouldn't get beer, you would get an explosive mix of spreading ingredients. The entire brewing process is all done under pressure in sealed vats so you could do it, in fact look at May's Popular Science to see the cart you would construct to make your micro-brewery.

I assume you plan on bringing your grain and water with you since neither exists on the moon, but if you had a moon colony you could grow the grain there.

The real problem is that the CO2 in your bloodstream would be a problem similar to the bends. The bubbles would exert extra pressure and few space habitats are pressurized to sea level. You only need enough pressure and oxygen to breath. If you up the oxygen level then you can get by with less air pressure and that would be cheaper and require fewer gases. I don’t think Coca-Cola would be popular in space because of the same problem.

Answer 2

The moon does not have enough gravity to hold an atmosphere. Without it, nothing can exist in a liquid state. If you put liquid water into a chamber and pump the air out, it boils until it freezes.
Boiling point depends on the atmospheric pressure. Some foods need to cook longer at high altitudes because boiling water is cooler up there. In a vacuum like on the moon, the boiling point is the same as the freezing point.

Answer 3

The absolute non availability of hops, malt and yeast would make it quite difficult to make beer on the moon. You also need lots of fresh water and that is not exactly common on the moon...