Who likes beer and backpacking?

I am a business student at CU Boulder. As part of an entrepreneurship class I am taking I am conducting a feasibility study for a new product idea. In short, it is a beer product designed for and marketed for backcountry hikers, backpackers, and/or climbers. The following is a link to a quick survey that is part of the study. It doesn't take long at all and any response we get would be immensely helpful. If you feel so inclined, please take a moment to check it out.

surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=…

If the above link is not active, just cut and paste into your browser address box.

Thanks a ton,
Dave Stewart

During prohibition there where several Canadian bootlegger firms that produced "beer" that was a powdered mix. You just added water! I'm not kidding. Sure would make hauling a lot easier!

for myself and most other people here, I'd guess, rock climbing is not considered to fall under the category of mountaineering.
Also, do i have to sit there for a few days while the fermentation happens? where does the alcohol come from?

Whiskey dude.

Whiskey...

I second the whiskey if it's that long of a trip where you are that concerned about weight, space, etc, its all about "strength to weight" :). If your going to the crag just grab some cans of Ska ESB, or Dales Pale and imbibe after the climb. If it tastes like a good IPA brewed here in Colorado I might reconsider.

Allen,
That's fantastic. Do you know any more about these powdered beers? Were they alcoholic? Did the non-liquid form of it allow them to exploit the prohibition laws?

Dave, as others have said, something stronger proof and palattable at room temperature is likely to be more popular than heavy, weak, warm beer. But it is definitely an idea worth pursuing.

I've occasionally brought either beer (cans of Dale's Pale Ale) or wine-in-a-box on backcountry trips. While I prefer glass bottles for both, packing out glass is much harder than light, crushable aluminum or plastic. Chill in a snowbank or stream and you've got a descent apres-hike treat. It's amazing how good a relatively crappy wine will taste in the right environment.

Alright dave I took your survey. I'm a fan of the boxed wine if I am with others who cant stand the other rot gut liquor I drink when trying to save weight for overnighters. However if you come out with a gel packet I'm interested. It would be like a malted, hopped up gu shot right? No more fiddling with the flask on the lifts just take a shot of your favorate gel beer!

Pocket Shots, they seem to be quite popular at CU football games... thegreenhead.com/2007/08/po…

Here is what I have in mind: A package of "beer" with a small packet of alcohol, a small packet of freeze dried malt beverage and a widget (like in the Guiness Draught cans) to carbonate the whole deal. The "package" could be added to a Nalgene bottle full of water, thoroughly mixed and then the widget can be popped to carbonate the beverage--Viola! Beer!

I think the technology is here, we just need the right kind of genius to put it together.

Kind of a catch-22 here, if you actually like beer, you're unlikely to want/like some sort of powdered/gel frankenbeer.

If you don't like beer, you wouldn't want it anyway.

So you're looking at a market of people who want some sort of beer-themed novelty item. Doesn't seem sustainable to me, but then I never though Zima would make it either (yes, it's still around).

What? Beer from concentrate??? MADNESS.

If I was running for President, my proposed solution for complying with the OSHA "Acceptable beer standards in Colordado" policy would involve hiring 'Porters for porter' (or at least Dale's Pale Ale in a can). Then again, we're beer snobs here.

It's good for the local and US economy, too.

Will that catch anyone's vote?

I say stick with liquor and wine as they have higher alcohol content.

Bud!

Powdered beer sounds like a turbocharged laxative to me, the last thing you'd want out in the wild.

whiskey

Mike Lane wrote:Powdered beer sounds like a turbocharged laxative to me