STAR TREK IS GETTING AN OFFICIAL BEER FOR ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY

Are you ready to boldly drink how no man has drunk before? No, I’m not talking about breaking out the funnel. In honor of the sci-fi franchise’s 50th anniversary, Star Trek is getting an officially licensed beer this month courtesy of Shmaltz Brewing.

Star Trek Golden Anniversary Ale: The Trouble With Tribbles will be debuting next week, very fittingly, at Comic-Con in San Diego where it will first be served, even more fittingly, at the premiere of the latest entry in the Star Trek movie franchise, Star Trek Beyond, on July 20. From there, the “Collector’s Edition” brew will also be available at the San Diego Convention Center as well as select retail locations around the area.

For those Trekkies whose love of the series isn’t so intense that they’re willing to travel to San Diego to get a Star Trek-themed beer… First, you call yourself a Trekkie?! But second, the limited edition beer will also be available at the Rio Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas during the Star Trek Las Vegas convention from August 3 to 7.

So what makes this beer worthy of the Star Trek name? A lot, surprisingly. According to Shmaltz brewer Drew Schmidt, “In the original Star Trek series episode 44 entitled ‘Trouble with Tribbles,’ the Enterprise was on a mission to deliver Quadrotriticale, a genetically engineered ‘4-row’ cross between wheat and rye developed on the planet Earth in the year 2269, in an effort to save the agrarian planet Sherman. Since the year 2269 is still about 250 years in the future, Quadritriticale has yet to be conceived. Thus, we will have to brew with triticale.”

Um… Lost yet? Well, “triticale” is a real grain – a hybrid of wheat and rye developed in the 19th century. Since Star Trek writers, unlike those ignorant Star Wars writing jerks, actually care about real science, they used that unique grain as a basis for an episode. And now, Shmaltz is using it as a basis for a beer. These guys seem to really know their Star Trek.

But the space-age-ness of this Golden Anniversary Ale doesn’t end there: “In keeping with the intergalactic theme, hopping will be comprised of Comet, Galaxy, Polaris, Aurora and Admiral (Kirk) hops,” said Schmidt. Okay, that seems, ironically, a little more down to Earth.

The Trouble With Tribbles will actually be the first of two limited run Star Trek beers Shmaltz is making. The second, Star Trek Golden Anniversary Ale: Voyage To The Northeast Quadrant, will be released in New York in September. Please don’t ask me to describe that beers backstory. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the first one.