From craft beer-making machines to robots that pour beer, CES had more beer than usual in Las Vegas last week. And even free beer if you found the right stand. Stampede’s saloon-style booth offered beer to visitors who tried out its latest drones, virtual reality, and other gaming products. No beer tech, though.
Here are some of the beer technologies that stood out:
LG HomeBrew – Craft beer made at home
LG’s HomeBrew craft beer-making machine, debuted at CES 2019, brings the brewing process home thanks to single-use capsules, a self-cleaning feature, and an algorithm optimised for fermentation.
Like a Nespresso coffee machine, the beer maker uses capsules, which contain malt, yeast, hop oil and flavouring. At the press of a button, LG HomeBrew automates the whole procedure from fermentation and carbonation to ageing. A companion app lets users check HomeBrew’s status at any time during the process, from their handsets.
The beer machine not only offers a simple way to make craft but also enhances the quality of beer it makes. The fermentation algorithm intelligently controls the fermenting process with precise temperature and pressure control. It automatically sanitises itself, using nothing more than hot water, ensuring everything is hygienically clean for the next batch.
Designed with discerning beer lovers in mind, HomeBrew allows for in-home production of batches of more than 4 litres of beer in a variety of styles. The following five distinctive, flavoured beers are available now:
- Hoppy American IPA
- Golden American Pale Ale
- Full-bodied English Stout
- Zesty Belgian-style Witbier
- Dry Czech Pilsner
The only catch? It takes about two weeks to make, depending on the beer type.
“LG HomeBrew is the culmination of years of home appliance and water purification technologies that we’ve developed over the decades,” said Dan Song, president of LG Electronics Home Appliance & Air Solutions Company. “Homebrewing has grown at an explosive pace, but there are still many beer lovers who haven’t taken the jump because of the barriers to entry, like complexity, and these are the consumers we think will be attracted to LG HomeBrew.”
Click here to read about the party speaker that holds beer and robots that pour beer.
Sony’s Beer-Holding Party Speaker
Making Bluetooth speakers a little more fun, Sony revealed its GTK-PG10 party speaker at CES last week, complete with space for four beer cup holders.
While the cup holders are a nice addition to the speaker, Sony has gone the extra mile with optimising the speaker for party situations. The company claims that the speaker makes use of digital signal processing (DSP) that automatically adapts audio output based on the surrounding sounds. The 13-hour battery life also helps keep parties going.
The speaker is cube-shaped with handles on the but can be transformed with two panels on the top, which not only provide space to hold four but also spread the sound from the tweeters by facing them outwards, spreading the sound for outdoor situations. Party mode is also geared for party moments, with the speaker being splash-proof on the top in case someone spills a drink on the speaker.
To round off the functionality, the speaker comes with an FM radio, wired USB connections for digital audio inputs, and an Aux input so no phone is left behind, even if it doesn’t have a headphone jack.
Click here to read about the beer-serving robot.
Fresh Geoffrey – A butler for the party
A robot butler called Fresh Geoffrey was showcased by French robotics firm TwinWheel at CES last week. The robot can map out one’s home to allow it to navigate easily and stop when it passes guests.
It features a tap that dispenses beer from a keg, a chilled tube for wine, and other tubes to hold snacks. It also features a pressurised water tap to rinse off glasses.
The robot responds to its name and will navigate to where it’s being called.
This robot proves that some of the most novel inventions are the simplest, even if it is just a roaming cart.
Fresh Geoffrey is not available for consumers yet, as the company is seeking investors.