Leave it to the Irish to come up with a way to brew beer at home with the help of a smartphone. Meet the BrewBot, the next at-home beer-making buddy. It's a machine for brewing craft beer without too much fuss, but the big selling point is the ability to monitor the process on a smart device. A group of crafty Belfast-based engineers are in the final days of a Kickstarter campaign to fund the BrewBot. It has 9 days to go to meet the £100,000 goal. Typically, brewing beer at home is a complex, scientific process. The BrewBot simplifies it and automates it, making it something just about anybody can do. The whole process can be monitored from beginning to end on an iPhone or iPad. Of course, tech like this doesn't come cheap. To guarantee getting your hands on a BrewBot, you are going to have to shell out about $2,400 (£1,500) before the Kickstarter campaign ends. That's a bit higher than many home-brewing kits, which sell for $100-$200. But, then again, most home-brewing kits don't involve smart technology supevising the brewing process. "Craft beer can be expensive, but now everyone has the power to brew beer themselves for as little as 42 cents for a 12oz bottle," the Kickstarter explains. One home brewer says each homemade six-pack costs about $5, based on how much he makes with about $35 worth of ingredients. In the end, it might just come down to your tastes. If you are a Budweiser drinker, $5 per 6-pack isn't that great a deal. If you are a craft beer drinker, $7-$10 per six-pack is standard, so it might be worth the investment. Plus, considering the current government shutdown is putting a stopper in the flow of craft beers, making your own cold one at home might be a way to go.
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by Ruth Schneider
Posted on October 12 2013
Reddit
