Surprise! This Hudson Valley Brewery Might Be First in Space

The last thing I expected to learn about when I visited one of the Hudson Valley's newest breweries was space exploration... but now I'm counting down the days until liftoff.

There are certainly no shortage of creative and visionary people (and businesses) in our corner of New York. Planning a trip into earth's orbit, however, is in a category of its own.

Dassai Blue Sake Brewery in Hyde Park, NY

Dassai, a leading brand of Japanese sake, can trace its roots in Japan back to the 1700s. Several years ago, the company expanded its business to the Hudson Valley, opening a brewery in Hyde Park, NY for their new brand, Dassai Blue.

Visiting Dassai Blue Sake Brewery in Hyde Park, NY

Last weekend, my wife and I were able to visit the 55,000-square-foot facility to tour the brewery, sample sake, and enjoy sushi that is now offered Tuesday through Sunday (above). Besides great food and drinks, there was one more thing that caught my eye; a sign advertising "sake on the moon" (below).

Dassai Sake Envisions "Sake on the Moon"

As far as ambitions go, heading to space is in an elite tier. While Dassai's third brewery location won't be on the moon, our helpful tour guide filled us in on exactly what the mission was all about.

What Does "Sake on the Moon" Actually Mean?

While there won't be a lunar brewery anytime soon, Dassai has decided to explore the question of what a sake brewed on moon's surface would taste like... and they've kickstarted the experiment with help from some astronauts:

We envision brewing DASSAI on the Moon using locally available water on the MOON and transported rice. As a first step toward this goal, we are conducting a fermentation experiment in a simulated lunar gravity environment (1/6 of Earth's gravity) aboard the Kibo module on the International Space Station

Dassai Sake to be Fermented on the International Space Station

As our tour guide (and Dassai's website) explained, Dasai has worked closely with Japan's space program to allow for a small amount of sake mash to be fermented on the ISS under moon-like gravity. Once the mash is pressed into sake, the single bottle will be for sale for an astronomical sum (pun intended).

Dassai Presents "Dasai Moon", a Sake Fermented in Space

When finished, the single 100mL bottle of "Dassai Moon" will be sold for a price tag just north of $700,000, with proceeds from the sale benefiting Japan's space program. While Dassai Moon might be out of reach, Hudson Valley residents can still explore Dassai Blue's terrestrial options in Hyde Park.

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The Dassai Blue tasting room in Hyde Park, NY is open every day of the week, with available brewery tours, tastings, and more (see their tour schedule for availability). Check out other Hudson Valley breweries below.