Cathay Pacific will be offering its own “Betsy”-branded craft beer to first and business class passengers on flights between Hong Kong and the UK. Starting March 1 and available until April 30, the new Cathay Pacific craft beer has been specifically brewed for drinking at 35,000 feet, with a flavour palette designed to reduce bitterness and enhance sweetness to offset changes in taste perception while at high altitudes.

Named after Betsy, the airline’s first Douglas DC-3 aircraft that flew during the 1940s and ’50s, the Cathay Pacific craft beer uses ingredients sourced from both Hong Kong and the UK. Hong Kong Beer Co, which brews the craft beer, sourced dragon eye fruits and honey from Hong Kong and Fuggle hops from the UK in order to highlight the “travel” aspect of the beer.

Speaking at a media launch in Hong Kong, Aaron Claxton, head of catering, said: “We all know that food tastes very different while in the air, primarily because of the cabin pressure and the dullness of your taste buds affects the way you taste your food. When it comes to drink and beverages, we do a lot of work on how we pair our wines with the food we offer. That has been beyond the realms of possibility when it comes to beers – there is no way you can take a product that is brewed on the ground for consumption and actually match it in the air.”

Over the past five months, the airline and Hong Kong Beer Co have developed the beer to counter these issues, while also inviting a tasting panel comprising craft beer aficionados, chefs, restaurant managers and Marco Polo Club members to assess the beer’s flavour.