We're not talking "lighter" in the sense of Bud Light, but lighter in the sense of making heavy bottles of craft beer easier to stow in a backpack and carry with you on a long camping trip. Pat's Backcountry Beverages is making it happen, people.
Pat's is innovating on two fronts. First, they have a signature carbonating system, which looks a lot like a standard water bottle but with added gadgetry to carbonate the liquid inside.
Second, they're developing a line of soda and beer concentrates. These are little packages of syrup that can be reconstituted with water in their carbonating bottle to create a instant sparkling beverage.
This might not sound like a big deal to those of us with SodaStreams and other home-carbonaters, but it's serious good news for backpackers who have dreamed of sipping something sudsy around the campfire. This doesn't solve the problem of chilling the beverage down (no ice or fridge in the wilderness!) and an actual taste-test is still to come, but Pat's is definitely taking things in the right direction.
Pat's has currently only released their line of sodas, including ginger ale, root beer, and pomegranate cola. Their line of beers are due to be released early in 2013.
Enjoy a Beer in the Backcountry with the Microbrewery That Fits in Your Pack from Discovery News
What do you think? Worth checking out?
Related: Real Cream Soda! Learn How to Make Soda Syrup at Home
(Image: Pat's Backcountry Beverages via Discovery News)
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How cool! My bf and his dad are just coming back from a backpacking trip -- they'll have to bring some of these along next time =).
How could that turn out anything but dreadful?
Does it have alcohol in it?
Wow--the beer part of this can't possibly turn out well. Soda, yes, since all soda at this point is syrup + fizzy water. But beer's different. Hmm...
NO. I must lay down the law here. No no no.
Soda, fine. Beer? I'm... skeptical would be a polite way of putting it.
I'd try it, but I wouldn't be surprised if I hated it.
Also, I would expect it to have some level of alcohol to make it worthwhile (more than 4%).
Interesting concept though!
This is just so wrong, on so many levels, I don't even know where to start.
Lightweight booze for backpacking = a small platypus pouch with bourbon. Beer just isn't worth the weight, but is worth the wait to have something good and cold!
Meh, I'll stick to the firewater for backpacking. Also serves as fire-starting helper.
I won't deny though, I've humped a six-pack up a mountain. Worth it.
In regards to the refrigeration issue, I've always tossed the beer in a cold stream or river, usually does the trick.
I wonder what the straight beer syrup would taste like... extra alcoholic malt? And wouldn't it have some awesome culinary applications (you seriously wouldn't probably want to DRINK it, syrup or beer "soda"), like for a rockin' steak/grill sauce base?