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Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

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Market Map: Booze Tech in 2019

From countertop devices used in the home kitchen to delivery services, the number of avenues in which companies can get booze to customers has expanded in recent years. And since it’s still the time of year when drinking on patios is a popular sport, we decided to focus our latest market map on all the tech out there currently changing the alcohol space.

In the U.S., alcohol consumption has actually stagnated, according to IWSR, but part of this is due to consumers now seeking quality over quantity when it comes to their drinking. Which might explain the rise in the number of companies offering recommendations apps that rate beers, wines, and spirits as well as at-home devices for the kitchen countertop that give the user a little more control over the quality of their drinks.

For The Spoon’s Booze Tech in 2019 market map, we divvied the market up into several categories where technology is making the biggest impact on the way people get, create, and consume beer, wine, and spirits. That’s everything from apps that update you on the best craft beers available to at-home bartending devices that let you release your inner mixologist to the many ways in which companies are making it possible to get the booze delivered right to your doorstep. We’ve narrowed the companies down to a collection of startups and major corporations alike. As with any post that outlines a market, this list isn’t exhaustive. So if you have thoughts and tips for who else you’d like to see here, feel free to drop us a line.

While we’re on the subject of maps, be sure to check out our 2019 Food Robotics market map and our Food Waste Innovation in 2019 map.

Booze Tech in 2019

Brewie Adds Connected Fermentation to its Homebrewing System with Plaato Partnership

Peanut butter and chocolate is probably a slightly odd comparison to make when talking about home beer brewing appliances, but that’s kind of the feeling you get when learning about the new partnership between Brewie and Plaato.

Brewie is a connected home beer brewing appliance that pretty much automates the entire beer brewing process… until you get to the fermentation step. Which is why the company is hopping (ugh, sorry) on board with Plaato, which makes a connected air lock that monitors the fermentation aspect of beer making.

The two companies have integrated their technologies into one mobile app allowing homebrewers to monitor their beer as it goes from grain to wort through fermentation.

Brewie launched in 2015 and went on to crowdfund $720,000. Unlike other crowdfunded home beermaking appliances, Brewie actually delivered, and has sold more than 2,000 units across 50 countries. While the Brewie can be fully automated for the amateur, it is also an open platform that allows more serious brewers to full control every aspect of the brewing process.

The Brewie appliance normally sells for $2,000, but starting on May 10, to promote its partnership with Plaato, customers will be able to purchase a Brewie and Plaato bundle for $1,599 for a limited time (the price will go back up to $2,150 after the promotion ends).

Brewie is billing this partnership as the only system that covers the whole grain-to-beer process, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Picobrew offers the PicoFerm to monitor the fermentation process. And the forthcoming BEERMKR does the brewing and fermenting all in one device.

Regardless of who’s the first or only, the broader point is that whether you’re a n00b or a pro, devices like Brewie and Plaato and BEERMKR are making homebrewing as easy and as sweet as chocolate (stout).

BrewArt, The HomeBrew System From Australian Giant Coopers, Hits Kickstarter Goal

If at first you don’t succeed, run another crowdfunding campaign.

That’s exactly what the people behind home beer brewing system BrewArt have done. After an aborted campaign in March in which they only raised just under $3 thousand after three weeks, the BrewArt is already in the money after hitting their $30 thousand goal in just one week.

Of course, it’s not like there was ever any doubt the system would make it to market in the US. That’s because BrewArt – which has been available in Australia since 2016 – is from that country’s largest brewer, Coopers, a company responsible for roughly 70 million liters of beer annually.

Chances are if you’ve heard of Coopers in the US, it’s because the company is a force in DIY home extract brewing. The company created its extraction process in the early 80s and has been selling DIY brewing kits ever since. The company also acquired their biggest DIY extract competitor, Mr. Beer, back in 2012.

And, just like Cooper’s own DIY kits, the BrewArt system utilizes extract ingredients in making a brew. Only unlike Cooper’s syrupy looking extract, each brew made with the BrewArt brewing system utilizes a series of packets of powder-based ingredients called Elements and Enhancers, as well as packet each of yeast and hop oils.

The video below walks through how the BrewArt ingredients are added to a brew.

BrewArt: Brewing Using BrewArt Ingredients

Unlike whole grain brewing systems such as those from PicoBrew and Brewie, BrewArt’s powders simplify beer brewing by allowing the home brewer to skip the mashing process. While some home brew purists prefer whole grain brewing since it puts them at the same starting point as most craft breweries which use raw ingredients, the truth is that there are some breweries that make very good beer using extracts. Add in the extra convenience and time-saving benefits of extract brewing, and you can see why it has its converts.

BrewArt convenience also goes beyond a simplified brewing process. The system streamlines the cleanup process with disposable linings for the store kegs, something I find appealing since cleaning out the serving kegs is the least enjoyable part of using my PicoBrew. The BrewArt disposable linings mean I wouldn’t have to mess with home detergents or going to your local homebrew store to pick up keg cleaner.

Another difference between the BrewArt system and other automated home brew systems is it comes in two full parts: The BeerDroid, which is the beer brewing component, and the BrewFlo, a refrigerated kegging system that houses the Store Kegs (where the beer is fermented and stored).

The full retail price of the BrewArt system will be almost $1,700, but Kickstarter backers can save 40% and get the full system for $995.  If that’s too much or you prefer to use your kegerator, you can pick up the BeerDroid by itself on Kickstarter for $495.

And much like PicoBrew Pico users need to buy brew ingredients in the form of PicoPaks, BrewArt backers need to buy the BrewPrints ingredient packs when they want to brew up a new keg of beer. However, the BrewArt allows the user to mix and match their ingredients to change flavors such as making beers extra hoppy or more fruity*.

Bottom line, there are definite advantages to the BrewArt in a simplified brewing and cleanup process, as well as slightly more control over brew ingredients than competing systems like the Brewie.  However, the retail price is still fairly high compared to the PicoBrew Pico C, which will sell for $549 this fall, and some purists may shy away from the BrewArt because they want to brew from whole grains.

*The PicoBrew PicoPaks do allow for customization, but that’s done online through the company’s online PicoPak customization tool, the BrewCrafter. Once you design your customized PicoPak, it is made in the PicoBrew packing facility and sent to your home for brewing. 

Update 7/22/17: On Kickstarter, the creator of the BrewArt system, Scott Harris, described what their powders are made. We asked for these details in an email interview, but the company was vague in describing how exactly the brew ingredients were made. This new description gives us a much better understanding of what a brewer is getting in the BrewArt Brewprints. 

Lastly, while he says these aren’t the “extracts” home brewers have become accustomed to, I would suggest the BrewArt Elements are still an extract in the sense they are a concentrated powder made of mashed malted barley. 

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