On a clear September day in 1998, Olin Schultz and his friends carrying extra-heavy packs climbed to the top of Mount Whitney in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. They reached the summit and unpacked a big stainless-steel pot, two buckets, 6 pounds of malted barley, some Cascade hops and 8 gallons of water. They were about to brew a beer at 14,505 feet. High-altitude brewing is a fairly common concept for brewers located in colder regions globally. Fast-forward to today and you’ll notice even airlines are boarding the craft beer wagon, stocking their beverage carts with the good stuff to keep an increasingly brew-centric customer base calm and collected throughout their onboard adventure. From recognised airlines like Delta, Cathy Pacific, Southwest, United Airlines, to American Airlines everyone’s in-flight menu now gives its fliers a choice in beers from IPA’s, Stouts or a Wit. However, with beer making it’s way into high-altitudes, meaning paying close attention to the chemical laws and physics key to brewing and doing things differently.

“Most styles work well in thin air, but the pressure that accrues and the dry air makes bitterness standout and become dominant, so we must be careful and make sure our brews are well balanced” – Peter Lawrance, Head Chef & Manager of Meal  Planning SAS Airlines (Blue Skies) a sky-high Pale Ale

“Most styles work well in thin air, but the pressure that accrues and the dry air makes bitterness standout and become dominant, so we must be careful and make sure our brews are well balanced” – Peter Lawrance,

Head Chef & Manager of Meal Planning SAS Airlines (Blue Skies a sky-high Pale Ale)

Recently, independent craft brewer BrewDog is known for indulging beer lovers with the ultimate immersive experience. First introduced the world’s first craft beer hotel – The DogHouse is scheduled to welcome guests in the first half of 2019. And now they offer beer lovers the ultimate immersive experience 35,000ft in the air with the launch of the world’s first craft beer airline.

BrewDog Airlines takes flight in February 2019 with a round-trip between London and Columbus, the capital of Ohio State and home of the Aberdeenshire brewery’s US HQ and its craft beer hotel,

The DogHouse. The BrewDog Airlines experience will take place between February 21st and 25th 2019.

Brewdog spokesperson Sarah Warman has stated that, while they’re currently only offering one flight, the potential for more trips—even Columbus-to-London ones—could be a possibility: “For now we’re just releasing dates for our maiden voyage, but if there is demand for the journey, we’d love to show more craft beer fans our homes in both Columbus and Aberdeenshire. We would love to offer trips from Columbus to our homeland in Scotland to show our extended family where we’re from, but for now we have no scheduled plans for this – if we see enough demand, you never know.”

So, what awaits fans a beer-soaked experience on board BrewDog Airlines?

• Passengers aboard the chartered Boeing 767 will partake in a unique beer tasting experience as they sample a limited-edition BrewDog beer that has been specifically brewed to adapt to the reduction of taste and smell sensitivity in high altitudes.
• The beer will be presented by Cicerone-trained cabin crew, offering expertise in beer 35,000ft in the air
• A food and beer pairing menu will replace the usual fare on board, and inflight flight boards will provide a range of beers to sample whilst cruising to Columbus
• The round trip includes a four-night stay in Columbus, where guests will tour BrewDog’s state-of-the-art brewery, visit The DogHouse Hotel, and explore BrewDog’s dedicated beer museum
• Guests will also enjoy a tour of Columbus’ many breweries, bars and restaurants as well as take a day trip to Cincinnati for more brewery tours
• BrewDog will also be running a prize draw for five lucky winners, each with a plus one, to secure a place on the trip via social media. Prospective high-flying craft beer fans should visit BrewDog’s Facebook, Instagram or twitter to be in with a chance of winning one of these limited pairs of places

The sky is no longer the limit!  Who knows where beer will take us next!