Beer today, gone tomorrow: Brewbot is an app-controlled micro brewery

Beer from afar

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Brewbot is a home beer brewing system created by design group Cargo – it can be operated remotely using a smartphone app, allowing even the most wet-behind-the-ears brewer to make and replicate their own creations with minimal fuss.

Once your phone is connected via Bluetooth, just add the ingredients as prompted by the iPhone, and the Arduino-based Brewbot will add the exact amount of water required for your recipe. It’ll then heat the water up to the correct temperature for a specified time.

Once cooking time is over, the Brewbot sifts out the wort using a plate cooler, before cooling it from 100 degrees celsius to less than 22 degrees celsius for the fermentation process. And all that’s left for you to do is wait – though you can adjust the temperature of your beer yourself, if you fancy adding a dash of creativity.

And it’s no plastic vat to be consigned to the garage, oh no – Brewbot’s oh so very stylish mix of wooden boxing, copper piping and stainless steel containers will go very nicely with your shabby chic kitchen and its rustic charms. Brewbox

Up to 20 litres of beer can be created in one go and, if you’re brew savvy, you can rest easy knowing it supports the no-sparge and batch sparging techniques (where the water is recirculated over the grain to reduce the overall brewing time).

Cargo estimates you could make your own beer for as little as 26p per 330ml (about 78p a litre), making it a financially sensible alternative to buying it from the shops.

Brewbot is up on Kickstarter, where it’s amassed £26,000 of its £100,000 goal, with 27 days still left to go. It’s pricey, though – if you want one and a fermentation tank, expect to part with £1,500 for the privilege. A retail price has yet to be confirmed.

[Kickstarter via DesignBoom]