In honor of British Airways’ 100th anniversary, Scottish brewery BrewDog teamed up with the airline to brew what the companies claim to be the first beer brewed at 40,000 feet.
According to a press release, BrewDog co-founders James Watt and Martin Dickie brewed the beer in flight, “while cruising 500mph over the north of Scotland,” the release says. Proper brewing equipment not permitted on board, the brewers and crew used the next best thing: airplane coffee pots.
The beer, called Speedbird 100, after the airline’s call sign, is a “transatlantic IPA” that will launch May 1, 2019 exclusively on British Airways flights and in select British Airways lounges.
One of these lounges will be here in the States: BrewDog plans to open its first New York location in the British Airways Club lounge at John F. Kennedy International Airport Terminal 7 this spring.
In February, BrewDog launched the “world’s first craft beer airline,” BrewDog Airlines. In a flight from London to Columbus, Ohio, 200 lucky travelers (a mix of media and BrewDog “Equity Punk” investors) enjoyed an in-flight tasting of Flight Club IPA, a New England-style IPA brewed specially for the journey. Although the flight sounded like great fun, two-and-a-half hours before landing, the toilets clogged up, a first in that pilot’s career.
We’ll take beer brewed on board over whatever was brewing inside those guests any day.
