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Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

PLAATO

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).

PLAATO Adds IoT Smarts To Beer Fermentation

Here’s how Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine describes the purpose of a fermentation airlock:

The sole purpose of any airlock is to allow an otherwise sealed fermentation environment to relieve internal pressure. That’s it. Airlocks aren’t designed to tell you anything, and they aren’t indicators of fermentation. 

Sorry to break it to you Craft Beer & Brewing Magazine, but the folks behind PLAATO have different ideas.

That’s right, the Norwegian startup is looking to take what is typically a dumb $3 piece of plastic used to release excess CO2 during the fermentation process and add IoT smarts to create a tool for beer brewers to monitor beer gravity, temperature and estimate the alcohol content of the beer using algorithms.

Sure, the PLAATO isn’t a beer brewing appliance, but as it turns out, when it comes to modernizing the beer brewing process not everyone wants a turnkey system like PicoBrew and BrewArt. Some home brewers want to brew their beer the traditional way, but aren’t against the idea of applying modern technology to refine the process and elevate their craft. PLAATO helps do that by monitoring the amount of CO2 generated by fermentation, send that data via Wi-Fi to the cloud, which then allows the brewer to monitor the brew process in a mobile app.

The PLAATO app

The PLAATO airlock, which can also be used for fermentation of cider, wine and mead, has reached its target via the company’s Kickstarter campaign. The campaign, which as of this writing has six days left, has raised a total of $165 thousand.

The team behind the PLAATO started working on the concept a year and a half ago. After finishing their first prototype in May of 2016, the company finished hardware design in February of this year and started the process of moving into production. The company plans to ship the PLAATO to backers by October of this year.