Oskar Blues Brewery, one of the top craft beer makers in the U.S., took part in a military tradition this summer as it brewed a specialty beer for the launch of a high resolution commercial satellite that entered Earth's atmosphere Wednesday.
DigitalGlobe is the satellite company that commissioned the specialty beer to commemorate the launch of WorldView 3, a super-spectral, high-resolution commercial satellite that was launched aboard a Lockheed Martin Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
The satellite will be able to map the floor of coastal waters and identify specific minerals and types of plants based on their spectral signature. It will be the first commercial satellite "to offer multiple shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands that allow for accurate imaging through haze, fog, dust, smoke and other air-born particulates," according to the company.
But enough about the satellite, back to the beer.
Lt. Cmdr. Alan Tweedie, a Navy reservist and software test engineer for DigitalGlobe, had seen military units commission specialty beers and wines for anniversaries or special missions in the military. He thought the satellite's launch would offer an opportunity to provide a unique commemorative item and earn money for charity in the process.
DigitalGlobe didn't have to look far to find a supplier. Oskar Blues is located down the street from DigitalGlobe's headquarters in Longmont, Colorado. Oskar Blues is probably best known for its Dale's Pale Ale, which is distributed across the nation.
Tweedie worked with the brewers at Oskar Blues to develop a wheat IPA called World Brew 3. Thus far Oskar Blues has produced 4,000 cans of the World Brew 3 released this week. DigitalGlobe employees bought up half the stock in the first day. Tweedie said Oskar Blues will likely produce a second run of the beer because the first was so popular.
Proceeds for the beer will go to the Can'd Aid Foundation, a charity started by Oskar Blues that has raised money for the communities of Longmont and Lyons, Colorado, which were devastated by flooding last year.
