Wow, I would not mind having one of those. All though I am sure I would still find a way to screw it up.

didn't we see this last week here on Gizmodo?

This is a very cool idea. However, there are some things that should not be automated. The joy of brewing beer is actually brewing the beer and I find it relaxing. This is kind of like making a robot to have sex for you. It just shouldn't be done.

Hmm, I'm kind of thirsty...might have to leave work and have a drink!

Sorry, I'd still be happy to pay...less for someone else to do it for me.

Thanks, Yuegling!

Only if it plays "The Breakfast Machine" music while it works.

haha i agree with matt...
i do preffer to go to a bar... it's easier and a lot more fun...
drunk people is always funny =)
and i want to imagine what the percentage of alcohol would be on their brew =p

In all fairness i think an all-in-one sweet,sweet marijuana making machine is in order for those of us who don't enjoy the hopelesness of a beer induced drunkeness!

@rednecktech:
I have a friend who's build something similar to this, and I assure you that none of the joy of brewing is lost.

What is lost is the danger of trying to gravity pour gallons of boiling hot wort, etc.

Using pumps and valves to move liquid from the brew kettle to the next vessel, etc. just makes for more consistent batches that are less likely to be spoiled by contamination or result in massive burns to the brewer.

Automating the temperature cycling also allows certain types of brews that are harder to do "by hand", as some brews require more precise control to get certain flavors from the volatile chemicals in the ingredients without burning things.

To be honest this isn't much of any technical merit although kudos to the guys for making something cool looking.

Extract brewing is akin to making a cake from a duncan hines box. It can and will probably taste great but its not "from scratch"

For a real all-in-one check out morebeer's scuptures
[www.morebeer.com]

or [morebeer.com]

These bad boys use grains (therefore require soaking, an rinsing cycles) have float switches, solenoids to control water going in, temp sensors that can turn the heat up or down, etc...

There are many fantastic diy projects for homebrewing - mechanical stirrers, electric completely enclosed boileres, chillers...

@MikeHerbst: "boiling hot wort"?? Why, why, why? You should always cool your wort (or let it cool a bit on its own at least) before transfer anyway. As for contamination I've been brewing for years and I've never had a spoiled batch. Sure, I just jinxed my next batch but I've never had a problem with contamination to this point. Just be careful, be clean, have fun, and make beer.

I like the temperature control as it might allow me to make a lager every now and then but I'm not that concerned because 95% of the beers I drink, and 100% of the beer I've made so far, are ales.

All in all this looks like a pretty nice set up but I think I'll stick to my simple, tried and true, old school methods for now.

@deemzzzz: Yeah, but this one is better suited for a dorm room... and that's reason enough to love it (wish I'd built it :-)

This doesn't do a thing for the brewer when it comes to the most annoying part of home brewing, cleaning. Anything that touches beer will have to be (at the very least) disassembled, rinsed, sanitized, and rinsed again before every batch. So the whole push a button and walk away mentality is pretty far off. The concept of creating a closed system for home brewing beer is not anything new. Don't get me wrong, this is a bad ass piece of brewing hardware, it's just nothing new to the brewing community, and, I still want one. By the way, even mediocre home brew is better quality beer than most commercial beers. So you can keep your bar.

Does anyone else thing that two weeks is an awfully short time?

@evilpotato:

You're right, for the most part. Sterilization being the #1 priority. One thing that might be helped by this rig is that I imagine you could use the brew kettle to boil straight water and then pump boiling water (or a water/bleach mix) through the system... At least for the final sterilization. Doesn't take care of the "cleaning the wort crust off the sides of the kettle" problem...

Umm, if I get this won't that mean bikini-clad models will stop bringing me any more brews?
That doesn't only happen in the commercials ya know.

As for me I like the bar as well, but what if there was a bar that had ten of these machines. Have the units lined up behind the bar, or inset into the wall so all the taps were facing the bar. Wait forget I said that, Copyright 2007 ME!

i seem to remember Priceclub selling a self contained beer kit that only wieghed about 5 lbs dry. Of course it was plastic and only did about a gallon at a time. With extract.
This kind of setup is nothing new. Several brewing/vintning supply places I have been to carry similar monstrosities. For several grand.
And uh, shouldnt the box behind the taps be filled with ice?

Wow. These guys invented a way to spend thousands of dollars in order to brew like beginners (using extract only). Call me...well...amused.

They definitely win the homebrewing version of the Walter Mitty award, but then again, most homebrewers aren't terribly interested in emptying their wallets building a contraption of extraordinarily limited utility.

Damn it only yields a few gallons of beer after a 2 week wait. I guess I'll need at least 14 of these setups.

i'm interested in the whole homebrew deal after i got a free set of all the parts a few years back. but have never really done anything with it.

what i'd really like is a still. why isn't there a big homestill scene? or is there? as far as i understand it... it isn't illegal as long as you aren't selling/bartering/giving it. as in... personal use. maybe i misread that on the ATF site... but that was my understanding. yet i never see "homestilling" or even "microstilling" (after the appropriate licensing on the latter) ... seems odd.

Ill pay first for my water dispenser.

Then ill have one of this machines. Time to party people!

party with /Weapon R Performance Parts

My friend told me that google is buying 10,000 of these and is buidling a web 2.0 app to control your own brewing. gBrew Beta invites are going out now.

All it needs is a headrest under the out spigot and I'm all set.

@calaverasgrandes: That would be the beer pig.

great, now this place has become an extension of the beer forums...

homebrew is ALWAYS better, and cheaper. And theirs nothing like having a garage full of drunk friends playing darts on a weekend.

oh come on - what about dry hopping? or timing the hops in the boil? or using a secondary fermenter to get the beer clearer? or if you're trying to make a barleywine or an imperial stout and you need to reyeast? what about reusing the yeast? or making a starter? this just looks like it takes all the fun out.

I'd be interested in a cost breakdown on this machine plus the ingredients used per batch, gas cost, etc contrasted against the yield. I'm curious if this actually saves money. If not, then I'm much happier buying my beer brewed by others (who care *sniff*)

Um, "world's first"? I don't think so. You were beaten by almost a decade by the Germans [www.braxonia.de]

It saves a fair amount of money if you drink a couple of beers a day. An extract batch of 5 gallons (8 six packs, which I pay between $50 and $80 for) costs about $20-$30, and will taste as good or better than 90% of what you buy in bottles. Doing it from scratch using grains and reclaimed yeast is more work but costs even less.

Equipment costs are minimal. A big pot. Some recycled bottles. A 5 gallon bucket or two. Under $100 to start. So that pays for it in 2 or 3 batches.

Of course, that's if you place no value on your time or on the massive amount of floor space you'll be giving up to bottles of fermenting goodness. :)

Getting a kegerator setup means you don't have to bottle, saves you a bunch of cleaning and time, and costs probably $300 to do right. More, if like me, you accidentally break your first mini fridge.