Beverages

We've seen how lab-grown meats could help address the massive environmental costs associated with livestock production, and we're now seeing some interesting possibilities emerge around one of the world's most popular drinks – coffee.

A high-speed magnetic valve developed, though never used, for ESA to help steer the Philae lander on its encounter with the comet 67P has found a job on Earth delivering precision doses of flavor to soft drinks.

Archeologists working in Egypt have uncovered the world's first industrial-scale beer brewery, which they believe was pumping out thousands of liters of beer for the ancient kings of the region some 5,000 years ago.

The Coca-Cola Company has announced it will be trialing a paper bottle prototype in a limited run of 2,000 later this year. The test sales of the plant-based beverage AdeZ will be conducted in Hungary through the e-grocery retailer Kifli.hu.

It was just a couple of years ago that we heard how scientists had used soybean waste to produce a healthy (and supposedly tasty) probiotic drink. Now, they've done the same thing with unsold bread that would otherwise be discarded.

Although it may be hard to believe, ice fishermen do enjoy a cold drink or two while sitting outside in the winter. The DipStick was designed for such anglers, as it keeps those beverages chilled – but not frozen – in the lake water under the ice.

Nothing ruins a session like stale beer, but it’s a common problem. Now researchers from Jiangnan University have found a way to keep beer fresher for longer, by genetically engineering lager yeast to produce certain compounds that slow staleness.

Nitro-infusion cold-brew is a big thing among coffee aficionados, but most of us need to go to a specialist coffee shop to get our fix – and it's not a cheap fix. Portland's GrowlerWerks has come up with an alternative for us. Nitro cold-brewing (and storing, and pouring) in our own homes.

​Although it may not be way up there on your list of problems to address, scalding your mouth on too-hot tea or coffee can be a hassle. A German startup is out to do something about it, with the iLIQ temperature-sensing drink-cooling device.

Keurig is best known for popularizing the coffee pod machine, but realizing it’s always five o’clock somewhere, the company is now taking the concept out on the town with the Drinkworks Home Bar, which cooks up cocktails (or beer and cider, for some reason) from the same kind of premixed pods.

​Imagine if it's a chilly day and you're heading out to a gathering, but the only beverages you have on hand are room-temperature. Well, that's where Blitzen would come in. It lets you chill bottled drinks on top of your car, while you drive.

Making coffee may seem simple enough, but the art of a perfect brew is serious business for many. The French Press, a classic brewing device developed nearly 100 years ago, has been given a 21st century facelift with the Rite Press, which offers subtle improvements to help give you the perfect brew.