Coming off an extremely lucrative Indiegogo campaign, Budapest-based Brewie was right at home here in Berlin, showing off a large steel contraption that brews beer automatically. The system is about as simple as home brewing gets: buy some prepackaged ingredients from the company, choose a recipe from the touchscreen and the Brewie does its thing.
The company has even included an RFID reader, so users just have to swipe the prepackage ingredients baggy and the system knows what beer to brew.
The device is also Wi-Fi connected, allowing users to supervise the brewing process remotely, search for more recipes and connect with fellow DIY brewmasters. The whole process takes around five to eight hours to cook, with an additional five to 14 days of fermenting.
The system begins shipping next month for around $1,600. According to the company's estimates, the Brewie should pay for itself within a year's time for average drinkers. The sort of people who plunk down $1,600 for a home brewing system will almost certainly hit that number considerably faster.
Brewie was kind enough to bring along a few samples, so I did a little taste test. It's 5 o'clock somewhere, etc.
I have to say, I was impressed with the Red Ale. Granted it was a little flat after a rough trip from Hungary, but it was was a pretty tasty, full-bodied little brew.
