I met my husband at a mutual friend’s birthday party. I knew he was the one when he agreed to sing “You Are My Sunshine” with me while we sucked the helium out of the party balloons. Of course, beer was also involved. I never thought about the two being combined (helium plus beer). That’s just strange and impossible, right?
Well, according to the folks over at the American Chemical Society, it is possible to create beer with helium instead of the usual CO2 or nitrogen. But it’s just boring old beer. No voice-changing capabilities to brag about and as the gents in the ACS Reactions video point out, it taps an already scarce element. (I wrote about the helium shortage a few years ago: “Helium Shortage Bursts Balloons.”)
But to make certain my craft-brew friends believe me when I tell them helium acts like nitrogen in the brewing process, I’m going to leave this video right here. Cheers!
Traci Purdum is Chemical Processing’s senior digital editor, semi-pro beer drinker and helium-influenced singer.
