Either April Fools Day came early this year, or “vagina beer” may someday be available at your local watering hole. The drink, known officially as Bottled Instinct, is reportedly brewed using lactic acid bacteria collected from the vagina of a “unique woman.” The Order of Yoni, a Polish-based company, recently started a crowdfunder to raise money for this one-of-a-kind brew, but beer isn’t the only alternative use for vaginal bacteria. The Order Of Yoni (which is Sanskrit for vagina) first started its vagina beer crowdfunder on March 24th, and people aren’t quite sure what to make of it. According to the company’s crowdfunding on Indiegogo.com, they need money in order to brew six batches of Bottled Instinct, with each batch consisting of 16,600 beers. However, according to The Independent, it’s still not clear whether this is an elaborate hoax. The company claims to have isolated the lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillus from the vagina of Czech model Alexandra Brendlova, where the laboratory then “isolates and multiplies the bacteria in a safe way.” Lactobacillus is a type of bacteria found inside the digestive tract, urinary tract, and you guessed it, genitals. Lactobacillus gasseri is a specific strain found inside of the vagina that works to help protect it from possible pathogens. One study even suggested that Lactobacillus crispatus may play a key role in helping to prevent HIV infections by trapping the virus to keep it from spreading. Scientists also believe the bacteria plays a role in childbirth, and a 2015 study noted that women lacking this particular microbe were more likely to experience preterm, or early labor. Joke or not, adding Lactobacillus to beer is backed up somewhat by science. While the strain ofLactobacillus added to Bottled Instinct may originate from a vagina, in reality the bacteria is also found in many other non-vagina-based sources. Sometimes the microbe does find its way into our beer, although accidentally in most cases. According to The Microbiology of Beer, Lactobacillus is a common reason for “off tastes and odors” associated with beer spoilage, and ProBrewer.com described lactic acid bacteria, such as Lactobacillus as being “potentially the most troublesome spoilage organism.” So, while it is possible to make beer using vaginal bacteria, there’s no guarantee this beer will actually taste good. However, there are many other potential uses for Lactobacillus other than strange fetish-based alcoholic beverages. In a recent study, scientists from the University of California, San Francisco explain their hope to use Lactobacillus’ abilities for fighting infection to formulate an antibiotic alternative to the medicines to which bacteria have built up resistance. Overuse and misuse have led to the superbugs that are immune to antibiotics that were for decades found effective. The vaginal bacteria-inspired drug, dubbed Lactocilin, could hopefully serve as an alternative antibiotic useful in fighting common infections, such as urinary tract infections and gonorrhea. In addition, Lactobacillus, when taken in a probiotic pill form, was identified as helping to improve mood and fight depression. For now, orders of Bottled Instinct vaginal beer may need to be put on hold, seeing as the campaign has only raised 234 of the 150,000 euro goal. Still, rather than have the essence of a woman in your beer it would be cheaper to simply enjoy a regular beer in the mere presence of a woman. Source
