LG Demos Home Beer Brewing

AlphaAtlas

AlphaAtlas

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LG already announced their home beer brewing system last year, but they showed off the system in action at CES today.

Check out HomeBrew in LG's live stream here.

HomeBrew not only offers an incredibly simple way to make craft beer, it also enhances the quality of beer it makes. An optimized fermentation algorithm intelligently controls the fermenting process with precise temperature and pressure control for guaranteed brewing success. The clever capsule system also removes all the cleaning-related frustrations associated with traditional home-brewing methods. It automatically sanitizes using nothing more than hot water, ensuring everything is hygienically clean for the next batch.
 
I can see people who homebrew, as an artisan hobby. But using an automated system? It seems like it would be too expensive, and you've removed the "fun" of creating it yourself. It's like taking away the joy of cruising by having a level 4 autonomous car, that costs a fortune.
 
I could see this being a fun toy if it were priced like a Keurig machine, say $100, but I expect the price tag has at least another zero...
 
This is an interesting concept, but unless it could actually scale for production level sales it's gotta be pretty niche. automation at the mass quantity scale is great because it allows for precise consistency.

I'm a home brewer, and half the fun is hanging out with a couple of people drinking beer and chatting while we wait and watch the propane fire surround the kettle.

Don't get me wrong, being automated would be convenient.. however I might as well just go buy professional beer from a store for far cheaper at that point.
 
An old friend of mine opened a craft brewery in garage. Some of the beer I've ever tasted. Truth is, though, I seem to have stopped drinking. I grab a beer every few months now.
 
As a homebrewer, I appreciate the interest in this consumer device category that LG, and many kickstarter/indiegogo campaigns have advanced the tech with. The price and the vendor lockin with PODS or whatever ingredient packaging system is used concerns me.

I think an automated system that utilizes raw malt, hops, and yeast is more of a desired end result. (I know there are a few that do this, but are pretty darned expensive). I would like some of the hipsters to buy these beer-keurigs so the tech continues to have funding to advance to my dream.

Until then, I will be brewing the old fashioned way: in the garage with, hoses, kettles and propane burners.
 
It's an interesting idea, but I'm not sure who it's really appealing to. Serious homebrewers and beer geeks are going to keep brewing by hand or buying beers from professionals. Macro lager drinkers gain little to nothing from something like this, too. It's really only targeted a people who are in a weird transitional phase between normal domestic macro lagers and very approachable craft beers. This isn't a very flexible system, so you're looking at proprietary recipe clones for beers like Sierra Pale, Fat Tire, Widmer Wheat, All Day, etc. Tough to say if it's cost effective, too.
I would be curious to try something from this machine, though. Beer is often at the mercy of ingredients and process. Consistency is pretty tough to nail on a small scale.
 
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So, what is the point of this system?

You pop in a pre-formukated module and get beer 2 weeks later. How is this better than buying beer in bottles or cans?

The reason people homebrew is for the craft of it, and to experiment with flavors and ideas. If you are just buying a pre-packaged product, what does it give you that ready made beer doesn't give you two weeks sooner?

This sounds like an expensive joke product, like that Juicero juice pouch presser from a while back.

LG should probably just play to their strengths and do what they do well, rather than straying this far from their core.
 
I would be more interested in a machine that I could use to make some custom brewing equipment, rather than a product that does it all for me.

Doing this stuff yourself is pretty much the whole point of doing it in the first place... if you want a finished product with minimal work, then go to the store and pay for it.

Precision comes from experience... and you only get that from doing it. Ive spent the last year hand making my own bread using a recipe I developed for my taste. At first I started with a basic recipe to get the gist of it all, then I wandered off using my own until I arrived at a precise recipe that I like. Then I learned how to mass produce using just my hands, because making 1-2 loaves takes just as long as making 20 loaves. With my current setup, I can work 25lbs bag of flour by hand, which makes about 50lbs dough after all the ingredients are in. Its a great workout, and its not as complex or difficult of a process as people make it out to be. The key is to be accurate with your measurements, gram it out if possible, volumetric measuring becomes really inaccurate as you scale up. My next step is to either make or find a dough trough so I can work 50lbs+ bags that way I can up my ratio of production time, making it really feasible for me to sell "100% hand made" breads and stuff. Probably won't get rich doing it, but I won't go hungry, nor will I have to worry about health issues due to a sedentary lifestyle.

I even went as far as making homemade masa for tamales last year... about 50lbs of the stuff. Had tamales for days, and they were delicious.

Since the legalization of weed in Cali, I also took it upon myself to learn how to grow... Its not hard or complicated, and if you work at it you get amazing results for little effort.

My next project this year will probably be to learn how to brew up some moonshine, at least on the scale of a gallon per month. After that I hope to use my "previous" growing knowledge, and apply it to making greenhouse garden to grow the majority of my own food.

At the end of the day, I am a lazy pot smoking alcohol drinking bastard with no money... only I don't use that as an excuse. I figure, if I can never "work" my way to wealth, I can at least maximize what money I do have by minimizing all the things I can do using minimal to no money. I may not get rich, but I will have all the food, weed, and alcohol I could ever want. As a hilarious side effect, you also get way more "positive attention" from others, which is something money can't really attest to, cause when you don't have any they will "encourage" you to make it.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
So, what is the point of this system?

You pop in a pre-formukated module and get beer 2 weeks later. How is this better than buying beer in bottles or cans?

The reason people homebrew is for the craft of it, and to experiment with flavors and ideas. If you are just buying a pre-packaged product, what does it give you that ready made beer doesn't give you two weeks sooner?

This sounds like an expensive joke product, like that Juicero juice pouch presser from a while back.

LG should probably just play to their strengths and do what they do well, rather than straying this far from their core.
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Its a way of getting the homebrew taste without the effort or mess.
They claim to get more from the ingredients by managing the process precisely.

Perhaps you work your nuts off, dont have much alone time and feel you deserve something decent.
If you have the cash why not.
 
I'm more excited for my Bud Light smart phone, than I am for this.
 
I doubt this would help people like me. I travel our state to breweries that barrel age their dark beers until 10-15% ABV, plus I go total wine to enjoy similar things from around the country(Founder's anyone? or Dragon's Milk Special Reserve?). Once I get that stuff I buy enough to let it sit for another year and trust me it's an incredible thing to drink.

Otherwise for the casual beer it might be o.k. but then again I'm spoiled taking my Drink Tank Juggernauts for all the amazing beer to be had locally. On the other hand LG, when the day comes and I stop driving you'll have my undivided attention!
 
I used to brew at home - a few buddies and I would spend Friday evening preparing different types of ales. A 2-3 weeks later, we'd bottle it and let it site for a while (seems like another few weeks - been a while!). At one time, I had 300 bottles of beer on my one wall :)
The supplies were not difficult to come by. There are a few stores where I live that specialize in brewing supplies. We stuck with bottle fermented ales. I'd have several of the 5 gallon buckets fermenting. The hardest part was keeping everything clean.
I gained a lot of weight as I had access to very good beer. Not too mention, we all ended up married and rarely hang out anymore. (I've lost the weight since - also rarely drink nowadays)
I'd be curious to sample beer from LG's device. I won't be buying the device, but you have my attention.
 
Nenu said:
Its a way of getting the homebrew taste without the effort or mess.
They claim to get more from the ingredients by managing the process precisely.

Perhaps you work your nuts off, dont have much alone time and feel you deserve something decent.
If you have the cash why not.
Click to expand...

How does a good homebrew IPA - for instance - taste any different than a good microbrew IPA bought at the store, or had on tap at your local bar?

People don't homebrew because it produces a better taste. In fact, Unless you are REALLY good, bacth consistency is very poor, and most of the time it is worse than a good local microbrew bought at the store.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
How does a good homebrew IPA - for instance - taste any different than a good microbrew IPA bought at the store, or had on tap at your local bar?

People don't homebrew because it produces a better taste. In fact, Unless you are REALLY good, bacth consistency is very poor, and most of the time it is worse than a good local microbrew bought at the store.
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Thats the point of LGs device, it will give a consistently good brew. The human element is removed, brewing process refined and ingredient quality guaranteed.
It remains to be seen how good but this is going to have a high price tag so must have some merit.
 
Nenu said:
Thats the point of LGs device, it will give a consistently good brew. The human element is removed, brewing process refined and ingredient quality guaranteed.
It remains to be seen how good but this is going to have a high price tag so must have some merit.
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Yeah, but the comparison is still this.

- LG Device: Possibly high quality beer at a very high price in two weeks.

VS

- Microbrew at Liquor Store: Probably very high quatlity for $10 for a six-pack, and you get to enjoy it now.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
Yeah, but the comparison is still this.

- LG Device: Possibly high quality beer at a very high price in two weeks.

VS

- Microbrew at Liquor Store: Probably very high quatlity for $10 for a six-pack, and you get to enjoy it now.
Click to expand...
We'll have to wait and see.
 
Nenu said:
We'll have to wait and see.
Click to expand...

Well, it's not like you even get the bragging rights for having made your own beer, if you just insert a pod and press a button.

The only selling point I could see is that beer is best enjoyed fresh, but unless you have a shitty liquor store, that shouldn't be a problem.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
Well, it's not like you even get the bragging rights for having made your own beer, if you just insert a pod and press a button.

The only selling point I could see is that beer is best enjoyed fresh, but unless you have a shitty liquor store, that shouldn't be a problem.
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I normally rate you as a guy who see's both sides of the argument.
Not sure what I'm doing here.
It will have a market.
 
Nenu said:
I normally rate you as a guy who see's both sides of the argument.
Not sure what I'm doing here.
It will have a market.
Click to expand...

On most things I do see both sides of the coin (even if I ultimately favor one)

And I think you are right. This will likely sell, but probably mostly to pretenders who want tell their guests at the dinner party "yeah, I brewed it myself" without any of the work or the knowledge needed.

I can't see any reason why a beer connoisseur would buy something like this :p
 
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Will LG provide insertion of the brain controlling compounds government use to control people into these kits, i mean "they" got to be putting something extra in the beer with the level of stupid people demonstrate today.
My bet are they are using hefty doses of Fotgetterall and Smilex compounds to keep people as ignorant as they are, not drinking or taking any drugs sure do keep one borderline insane with the world of today.
 
Zarathustra[H] said:
On most things I do see both sides of the coin (even if I ultimately favor one)

And I think you are right. This will likely sell, but probably mostly to pretenders who want tell their guests at the dinner party "yeah, I brewed it myself" without any of the work or the knowledge needed.

I can't see any reason why a beer connoisseur would buy something like this :p
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Probably spot on analysis ;)
 
I sorta see the point of this machine but ultimately it is still just a novelty and frankly takes the fun out of homebrewing. Even if you are making beer just from kits by Coopers, Muntons or some other brand you are still making it yourself, bottling and all. It is dead simple and very repeatable once you get your sanitation and temperature practices correct and the result is tasty that you can be proud of and share with others.

And if you want to feel like a true artisan and brew all-grain the BIAB method (this is what I do) is highly recommended and simple. All you need is a big boiling kettle, a meshbag (paintstrainer bag will do) and a fermenting bucket and you can make ANY beer you want (internet is full of recipes, from self made to clones) or even come up new ones of your own making. Its easy and fun.
 
The problem I have with brewing beer is its a bit too nice and I saw my alcohol intake increase dramatically along with my weight (it doesnt help that I like eating nice nosh after a few brews).
I had to stop for safetys sake.
So thanks Maza, you make me want to start again lol.
 
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Nenu said:
The problem I have with brewing beer is its a bit too nice and I saw my alcohol intake increase dramatically along with my weight (it doesnt help that I like eating nice nosh after a few brews).
I had to stop for safetys sake.
So thanks Maza, you make me want to start again lol.
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I'm always happy to help. :D

I know what you mean though. Not only is the alcohol addicting so is the brewing and trying new recipes. Right now I my first Hefeweizen is fermenting and I find myself quickly drinking away the old Citra SMaSH just to get the bottles free for the new batch. :ROFLMAO:
 
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Most homebrew isn't as good as packaged beer. Probably 90% isn't. It tends to have a weird plastic "twang" in most instances. More obvious flaws due to temperature, timing, yeast, etc. can lead to off notes like butter, fake green apple, canned vegetables, or even vomit. The 10% that is really good can be out of this world, but it's still not really better than packaged beers. Especially if you live in an area with decent distribution. It's usually the process and the ability to tweak things the way you want that appeals to people. This offers neither.
 
Domingo said:
Most homebrew isn't as good as packaged beer. Probably 90% isn't. It tends to have a weird plastic "twang" in most instances. More obvious flaws due to temperature, timing, yeast, etc. can lead to off notes like butter, fake green apple, canned vegetables, or even vomit. The 10% that is really good can be out of this world, but it's still not really better than packaged beers. Especially if you live in an area with decent distribution. It's usually the process and the ability to tweak things the way you want that appeals to people. This offers neither.
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Most of the typical homebrew "twang" comes from people using the canned kits and following the instructions that are more often than not complete rubbish. Most of them tell you to add 1 kilo of sugar and when the cans are contain only about 1.7kg of liquid malt and hop concentrate that means almost half of the fermentables come from white sugar that not only dries the body but also add off flavors in those extreme quantities that require aging to get rid off. Replace the sugar with 1kg of dry malt extract and suddenly the beer tastes amazing. Oh, and also keep your pitching and fermenting temperatures on the cooler side.
 
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