When we last met MiniBrew, the team had been stopped at the US border with their mini beer brewing system and had to exhibit at TechCrunch Disrupt with a tri-fold poster board and not much else. Now the bad boys of the Amsterdam home-brew scene are back and they’re ready to perform integral calculus and take pre-orders. And they just ran out of calculus problems.
The B is essentially a home brewing kit that completely automates the process of making a frosty one. “MiniBrew simplifies the beer brewing including fermentation process and enhances the accuracy of each brew, allowing anyone to create and experiment with their own recipes right at home,” write the creators. “Making your own beer isn’t a dream anymore.”
The team has streamlined the beer process and the $1,850 system will do everything for you including pitch the yeast, steep the hops, and ferret. The founding team led by Bart van de Kooij wants to standardize the beers and is even creating a social network to connect brewers around the world.
Why is this thing so expensive? There are two kinds of home-brew experiences: the DIY, cheap method and the consistent method. While some folks with talent can get a good brewski out of a copper pot, a carboy, and a dream others like myself usually end up making something that smells like a compost pile and tastes slightly better than Coors Light strained through a shoe. In the end, you’re paying for consistency.
The price may turn some folks off but remember that this is an appliance that makes beer. Not unlike the goose the lays the golden egg in fairy tales of yore, a machine that can spew out suds is truly a miracle of modern science and is well worth our unwavering support, even in spirit.