The World’s First Two-Stage Rocket Powered By Beer Kegs Will Launch In September–This Is Not A Joke

Bogey Wells10 years ago

Don’t ask me how any of this works, because I have absolutely no idea. I never liked physics or chemistry, but I love beer, so this story really caught my eye.

A group of rocket-building nerds called Team Numb is planning a September launch date for the first two-stage rocket powered by kegs of beer. It will be the first in the world’s history. I’m not shitting you. This is real.

They call this type of launch “kegetry” and unsurpringsly thought of the idea while drinking at a bar.

From Mashable:

The team behind the project refers to this type of rocket launch as “kegetry” or “keg lofting” (not to be confused with keg lifting). The idea was, fittingly, born from a drinking session. The group was sitting around and discussing rockets at a local bar, Dave Barbour told Mashable.

Earlier this year, the men started a Kickstarter campaign that raised more than $2,000 for the project. Prizes for donating ranged from a picture of the launch to being able to push the launch button itself.

Team Numb plans to use a pale ale from Burnside Brewery, a local Portland brewer, as the beer of choice in the launch. The group expects the rocket to reach heights of 20,000 feet at nearly 650 mph.

This isn’t the team’s first beer keg rocket launch, however. The guys launched similar, smaller rockets in 2008 and 2012. Those rockets reached heights of 6,000 feet and 7,700 feet, respectively.

If you have to waste beer on anything, at least it’s for a pretty fucking cool cause.

You can watch the video from the 2008 launch below.

[via Mashable]

Image via Kickstarter