UC reaches new heights with brew-inspired rocket

UC reaches new heights with brew-inspired rocket

Rocketry team sends yeast 2 miles high for Rhinegeist's new ale

A Cincinnati brewing company will unveil a new beer this fall that is out of this world.

Or high altitude at least.

Rhinegeist Brewery produced 16 kegs of its new Apex Apple Ale, brewed from yeast that students from the University of Cincinnati's rocketry team fired nearly 2 miles above the Earth during a competition this year.

Rhinegeist's Nick Ketchum said the new ale will reach its taproom just in time for fall.

"It's not super apple-forward, but it has a hint of apple," he said. "The timing is great. Our sales team is excited about it."

The UC team approached the brewery about a sponsorship and floated the idea of using beer yeast as its payload. In competition, each rocket must carry the same minimum weight of cargo, UC student and payload lead Matt Boller said. Like most of the team members, he is studying aerospace engineering.

UC students competed in the International Rocket Engineering Competition in Midland, Texas. Their entry, the Rising Star, was sponsored by UC's Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, the Ohio Space Grant Consortium, Yuri, JetAir, Rhinegeist, the Modal Shop and G90 Engineering. Photo/Provided

The competition has scientific objectives as well, he said.

"We were interested in seeing what the vibrational forces did to the dry yeast in a growth medium," Boller said. "We added sensors to examine how the forces of the launch affected them."

A microbiologist, Rhinegeist's Ketchum said he was immediately interested in the science behind the launch, he said.

"I have an appreciation for science and NASA. I love that kind of thing," he said. "Making beer is like preparing food: it's an art but it's based on the science of microbiology.

"I liked their idea and I thought maybe if we send the yeast up in the rocket, we could brew with it afterward," Ketchum said.

The team recently visited Rhinegeist's innovation brewery for a tour and to learn how beer is brewed. A portion of proceeds from Rhinegeist's Cincy Light benefits UC student athletes.

"I thought that was a really cool experience," Boller said. "It was an added bonus for this project."

UC College of Engineering and Applied Science students visited Rhinegeist Brewery to learn more about how new products are made. Photo/Provided

Working at UC's Victory Parkway Campus, the students built a nearly 11-foot-tall, 60-pound rocket they named Rising Star that would travel at 750 mph on less than four seconds of engine thrust. The rocket features an avionics bay, a payload bay and two parachutes along with a standard engine for each division.

"There was a lot of work to do," UC Adjunct Professor and faculty adviser Grant Schaffner said.

"They added a Fiberglas weave layer to strengthen the rocket. The tailfins, payload and interior are all custom," he said.

Ben Hunt, UC aerospace engineering student

Schaffner said the launches at the competitions are true spectacles.

"They fly at close to the speed of sound, so you'll hear a rumble like a fighter jet. Some even go past the sound barrier," he said. "It creates not so much a sonic boom as a roar. They're pretty spectacular and noisy."

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