psychoceramics: [Pigdog] H2indenburg in your brewski

[arcuate aliquot <arkuat @ pobox.com>]

------- Forwarded Message

Date: Mon, 9 Jun 1997 09:13:56 -0700 (PDT)
To: h--@v--.vivid.com
From: alisa @ vivid.com (alisa)
Subject: CHZ:  flammable suds (move over, tamagochi)

>
>>TOKYO (AP) -- Here in the chic pubs of the Aoyama district, the latest fad
>inspired by beer makers struggling through a sluggish economy is the flammable
>suds of the new Hydrogen Beer. The latest craze among the environmentally
>conscious crowd of twentysomethings, the "Suiso" beer made by the Asaka Beer
>Corporation has been extremely popular at karaoke sing-along bars and
>discotheques.
>
>>Hydrogen, like helium, is a gas lighter than air. Because hydrogen molecules
>are lighter than air, sound waves are transmitted more rapidly; individuals
>whose lungs are filled with the nontoxic gas can speak with an
>uncharacteristically high voice.
>
>Exploiting this quirk of physics, chic urbanites can now sing soprano parts on
>karaoke sing-along machines after consuming a big gulp of Suiso beer.
>
>The drink comes in a transparent hexagonal bottle imported from the maker of
>the new American drink "Zima," according to Hideki Saito, marketing director
>of Asaka Beer Corp. While the bottles are imported from Tennessee, the labels
>are made with a 100% biodegradable polymer. The bottle caps are equipped with
>a safety valve to prevent excess build-up of pressure in high temperatures.
>
>The flammable nature of hydrogen has also become another selling point, even
>though Asaka has not acknowledged that this was a deliberate marketing ploy.
>It has inspired a new fashion of blowing flames from one's mouth using a
>cigarette as an ignition source. Many new karaoke videos feature singers
>shooting blue flames in slow motion, while flame contests took place in pubs
>everywhere in Tokyo on New Year's eve.
>
>So far, Asaka beer has insisted that the quantities of hydrogen used in the
>drinks is too low to create potential for bodily harm. In the factory, the
>carbon dioxide that is dissolved in the beer is partially extracted and
>replaced with hydrogen gas. Mr. Saito maintained that the remaining carbon
>dioxide mixed with hydrogen prevents the rate of combustion from increasing
>dramatically. Carbon dioxide is a nonflammable gas that is naturally contained
>in the exhaled breath of humans.
>
>However, the company has hesitated from marketing the product in the US due to
>legal complications.
>
>Each bottle of Suiso beer sells for approximately 1,200 yen, or eleven US
>dollars. The bottles are packed in special crates lined with concrete to
>prevent chain explosions in the event of a fire.
>



------- End of Forwarded Message