Foster's to aid in first "beer battery" fuel cell project
By Darren Murph 
posted May 3rd 2007 8:16AM
posted May 3rd 2007 8:16AM
While it's certainly debatable whether beer is to thank for the explosion in the consumer electronics industry, it looks like we'll be thanking the beverage without hesitation for making our world a little greener. Oddly enough, "scientists and Australian beer maker Foster's are teaming up to generate clean energy from brewery waste water by using sugar-consuming bacteria," and better yet, the University of Queensland will host a microbial fuel cell at a Foster's Group brewery near Brisbane. Essentially, the cell will consume brewery wastes such as sugar, starch, and alcohol, while producing clean electricity by harnessing the energy released from the organic materials coming in. The device is expected to produce two-kilowatts of power, and while hopes are to bring the technology to other breweries and wineries around the country, this iteration should crank up sometime in September.[Via Physorg, thanks Michael T.]
I would describe Fosters as "brewery waste water", so why not just hook up the output of the brewery straight into the power plant...
You gotta give Foster's Public Relations Dept. credit for getting the Foster's name in the news for thing like this. Sadly, most of us Yanks couldn't even name another Australian beer if we had to, because all we've ever heard of is Fosters.
Now, if they'd only spend half that much effort on making their beer not suck . . .
Foster's is hardly a great beer, though it could be a lot worse, american for example!
Why is American beer like sex in a canoe?
Because they're both f*ng close to water.
Besides, the Australians I know are the ones that tell me how crappy Foster's is, saying that there's tons of great Australian beers that Americans never hear about because they're not as famous as Foster's, or they don't get imported as much, etc. That was the point I was making. If I was unclear, then I apologize. But don't insult American breweries just because of Budweiser and Miller.
Well, there is always Sheaf Stout...
A.
Hey fellow UQ students..
Bud already does this in New Hampshire
Funny that no Australian's actually drink this beer haha
I wouldn't say that Foster's is "first." New Belgium's got them beat. They're not just talking about it, they've already done it.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18442929/
that's about all foster's is good for.
huh?! Fosters makes a brew that is awesome, try their extra bitters.... I make my own brew, and this is one of the very few I'll even buy.
What do u ppl drink? Bud! lol
Let's not make general statements about a county's ENTIRE array of beer offerings, shall we? Samuel Adams, Anchor Steam, and Flying Dog beers are all excellent, and they're American.
Fosters is about as Australian as McDonald's french fries are French. You'd have trouble finding it in a store in Australia, mostly because it's piss. They keep the good Aussie beer to themselves and sell the crap to Americans.
I cant believe no one has made a Bender reference yet...
On my college budget you can't beat 11.95 for a case of Naty Light
Fosters = Piss
VB, Carlton's, XXXX (Bitter and Golden) = Real Aussie beer.
Yep, 2nd to mention it, but this will definitely power up the Benders, which confirms that Futurama is a pretty accurate portrayal of the future, maybe as much as the Simpsoms's of the present.
What we need is some VB or bundy!
haha good luck finding an australian that drinks fosters. alot of people i know drink tooheys new or extra dry the beer that doesn't taste like piss.
Fosters v US beers - The Foster brothers were Americans.
Don't forget about the Northern California Brewery that has been running a Fuel Cell for awhile. http://www.sierranevada.com/environment/fuelcells.html