He may not be able to enjoy the fruits of his labor, but 11-year-old Michal Bodzianowski from Colorado has won a national competition to have his science project aboard the next space rocket heading to the international space station. His mission: to boldly go where no 11 year old gone before and brew beer in space. Can homebrewing work in the cosmos? Should Earth ever collapse as a sustainable planet, will we be able to take our lagers with us? We’ll hopefully have the answers in short order. Congrats, and uh…. a clink of the root beer mug, Michal! [The Register]

Meanwhile back on planet Earth, a different type of drama is, ahem, brewing. Apparently the folks at Old Overholt Whiskey have taken umbrage to the recent cult phenomenon of Pappy Van Winkle, and have taken their grievances to that public forum where we all can be heard loudly: the internet. Specifically, Twitter. No response as of yet from Overholt’s parent company, Beam, nor from Team Pappy — probably as they’re too busy promoting their new clothing line. [Hat tip to the always awesome Las Vegas Whisky for the excellent spot]

Meanwhile on planet Italy, The Wall Street Journal is reporting that a court has ruled against Anheuser-Busch InBev NV and in favor of a Czech brewer Budejovicky Budvar over the name “Budweiser.” InBev will be changing the name to “Bud” in short order. This is a major blow to the megaconglomerate in a very long battle which now includes 50 trademark lawsuits in over 20 countries. [Wall Street Journal]

And finally today in science news, Chinese researchers examined close to 60 drinks looking to find the ultimate hangover cure. Turns out Sprite is the leader of the pack. From the Daily Mail:

When we drink, our livers release an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), which breaks down the ethanol in alcohol into a chemical called acetaldehyde (so less the alcohol enters the bloodstream). This is then broken down into another chemical called acetate by an enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). While acetate is usually considered harmless – and has been linked with some of the health benefits of alcohol – being exposed to the more potent acetaldehyde is what causes hangover symptoms, the researchers found. With this in mind, the researchers at Sun Yat-Sen University, in Guangzhou, tested a range of drinks, from teas, hot herbal drinks and various fizzy drinks – and examined how they affected ADH and ALDH. They discovered that a herbal drink made with hemp seeds actually increased the length of the ADH process and inhibited the ALDH process, so a hangover would last for longer.

A drink which would make hangovers last longer? We’ll pass, thanks. [Daily Mail]

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