Picture the horrible possibilities. You are at sea aboard a long endurance research vessel, for something like two months. The refrigerated storage is all dedicated to bait, or squid samples, or squid samples to be used as bait. Even if the ship’s regs allow alcohol, the total beer you could possibly get on board will last about a week. Thirsty yet?

How about now? I thought so.
Fortunately, we have a remedy for your thirst from the good folks at Southern Fried Science, two marine biologists who struggle to save the sharks. They have published a scholarly engineering treatise entitled: How to Brew Beer in a Coffee Maker, Using Only Materials Commonly Found on a Modestly Sized Oceanographic Research Vessel. (H/T: Al Dente Blog)
MacGyver has nothing on these guys. Here is a representative list of the things you need to make beer on a crowded working boat filled with thirsty, smelly, overcrowded dudes.

• Automatic Drip Coffee Maker
• Coffee Filters
• Rubber Bands
• Raisin Bran
• Vegemite or Malted Milk Balls
• Alfalfa
• Yeast from the kitchen
• Clean Water
• Two Clean Jars
• Two Hopefully Clean Handkerchiefs (this last item is the only one I call bullsh*t on finding on a research vessel)

Follow their directions, and you will end up with this:

A cool, smooth brew, flavored with whatever you found. It may be very bad, it may be good. It will be beer.
…
You are now the most popular person on the boat. Enjoy.