Is Helium Beer a Real Thing? It’s Time To Know the Facts

The question, “Is helium beer a real thing?” was widely asked in 2014 after the idea of helium beer emerged in the brewing community. With the HeliYum beer from Samuel Adams and other similar beers, many enthusiasts are excited about the idea of beer made with helium.

This is especially intriguing since some people think that a helium-infused beer will give you a high-pitched voice after drinking it. To know the answer to this interesting query regarding helium beer, continue reading our complete article below. 

Does Helium Beer Really Exist? 

No, helium beer does not exist. Since helium is barely soluble in water, it won’t suspend itself in liquid for a long time, so it is impossible to make helium beer in the way that you think. If anyone adds helium to their beer, it will simply be flat.

Due to some videos from top brewing companies in the industry like Samuel Adams and Stone Brewing, many in the beer drinking community believed that you can infuse helium into beer. Not only this, but they thought their voices will be high pitched if they drink a He beer, but those videos were only April Fool’s jokes.

He beer can be defined as beer that is meant to be infused with helium. This is the same way that Guinness infuses nitrogen and carbon dioxide into their beers. There were different claims that He beer will affect the pitch of your voice and bring our caramel flavors in beer, but this was only a hoax.

Even if the idea of He beer came up in 2014, it recently went viral again, causing many beer lovers to wonder, “Is helium beer real?” but it isn’t.

How Does Science Explain the Impossibility of Helium Beer? 

Science explains the impossibility of helium beer due to the idea that helium is not soluble in water. You cannot brew He beer the same way you do for CO2 beer. There are other scientific reasons, but the main one is that helium cannot be used to carbonate beer. This will not work with non carbonated beers since even these have a very small amount of carbonation.

It’s important to note that helium is a stable noble gas, which makes it chemically inert. It is inactive when it meets with other chemicals. You can dissolve about 5 grams of carbon dioxide into a liter of beer, but only 0.0016 grams of helium will be dissolved into the same liter.

Liquid helium is at a freezing temperature of -220 degrees Fahrenheit, so you cannot add it to beer. It will freeze immediately. If scientists eventually find out how to add it, it will be like mixing oil with water. 

You should also know that, even if He beer became possible, it won’t affect your voice. When you inhale helium from balloons, it goes to your lungs and changes your voice. But if you end up drinking helium, it won’t affect your voice.

– The C&EN Report on Helium Beer

Chemical and Engineering News attempted to make a He beer. After brewing the craft beer normally, they carbonated it with 50 psi helium for five days. The result was the same as Guinness beers that are nitrogen-infused. The pitch of their voices was unaffected.

The helium stout was smooth and creamy, and aside from having a foamy head that lasted for a long time, it was flat. According to the report, any brewer will prefer making their beers with nitrogen as this is a waste of helium.

Based on this, you can add helium to beer, but you can’t make helium beer. This helium beer test was possible by filling a CO2 tank with helium instead. The helium was only able to reach the beer because it was combined with carbon dioxide. 

Due to this, He beer cannot hit the market because there is nothing interesting about it. Since it’s just like a nitrogen-mixed beer, no brewer will want to waste money on it. Also, even if it was made, once the can or bottle of beer is opened, all the helium will come out so you won’t taste the difference.

Where Did the Idea of Helium Beer Come From? 

The idea of Helium beer came from Stone Brewing, a brewery that released a cream ale with helium, called Cr(He)am Ale as part of the Stochasticity Project. It was released on April 1, which is April Fools day.

This joke got a lot of beer lovers who were really expecting a He beer. In their marketing video, they stated that they went ahead of the brewing industry and that anyone could purchase the cans. They also claimed that your voice will change after drinking their beer.

Another marketing video that added to the helium infused beer fad is Samuel Adam HeliYum beer. It was released in 2014 and a YouTube video showed Jim Koch drinking the beer and talking in a high pitched voice. It also showed other drinkers at the bar taking the beer and having high pitched voices.

However, this was also an April Fool’s prank. Many people fell for it and started looking forward to it. You won’t find this kind of beer on the shelves any time soon.

What Breweries Pretended To Make Helium Beer? 

The main breweries that pretended to make Helium beer include Sam Adams, under Boston Beer Company, and Stone Brewing Company with the Stone Stochasticity Project. These are the two most popular breweries that joined the trend of fake helium-carbonated beers.

Despite this, there are many other small breweries out there that have released videos claiming to have made this beer. This is an attempt to put themselves on the map and increase popularity. For instance, Berkshire Brewing Company in 2015 released a video announcing their Helium IPA.

The helium-carbonated beer hoax has become very common, and you can find all these videos with a simple search online. At least, these breweries always add in their posts that the beer does not really exist. 

Is It Possible To Drink Helium? 

No, it is not possible to drink helium or infuse it into a beverage, according to science. There is the idea of helium-carbonated beer or wine, but you cannot drink it. This means you cannot make helium infused wine or beer. 

The closest option to drinking helium is taking nitro beers. You can’t find any type of wine infused with helium too. If you pump helium gas into wine, it will dissipate immediately, so that makes it a waste of time. 

You might be wondering what helium tastes like. Helium does not taste like anything because it is a tasteless gas. The gas is also odorless and colorless, so if it is infused into beer, it won’t taste like anything. 

FAQs

1. Are There Helium Taps Like Nitro Taps?

No, there are no helium taps like nitro taps. Nitro beer taps exist, and breweries that offer them use them to carbonate the beer and make it creamier. No bar or brewery uses helium to carbonate their beers. One of the most popular nitro beers is Guinness. 

Take note that you cannot buy helium beer anywhere near you. No brewing company makes He beers because of the scientific impossibility. Not only this, but experiments have showed that it is similar to nitro beers. Consider buying nitro beers instead if you are curious.

2. Can a Person Inhale Helium From a Balloon? 

Yes, a person can inhale helium from a balloon, but it is not recommended by doctors and scientists. Also, sucking lots of helium from a balloon can cause you to pass out from lack of oxygen, but it won’t kill you. 

Conclusion 

As cool as Helium beer sounds, you should stop holding your breath for it because it’s something that can never be made.

Here’s a rundown of what our beer review covered:

• Helium beer is not a real thing.
• Since helium is not soluble in water, it cannot be infused in beer.
• The idea of He beer came from breweries like Samuel Adams and Stone Brewing.
• It is not possible to drink helium, but nitro beers are close to it.

Whenever you see another video on He beer or a friend that claims they can make beer with helium, just know that it isn’t possible. Instead, look out for a nitro beers if you’re curious about what it could possibly taste like.