When did homebrewing become so hard that people still want to do it but are looking for ways around the actual work of the brewing? First there was Brewbot: An Automated Homebrewing Machine, by an Australian designer, and now comes WilliamsWarn: The Personal Brewery, this time from New Zealand. Is it perhaps the folks down under who are getting lazy? (And thanks to brewer Andrew Mason for the hat tip.)
So brewmaster Ian Williams and food technologist (not sure what that is) Anders Warn worked for two years to develop the WilliamsWarn Personal Brewery, which looks as much like a fancy coffee machine as anything else.
Here’s their “story” from the website:
The WilliamsWarn Personal Brewery is the miracle that beer drinkers have been praying for. After 5000 years of brewing, the technology finally exists to allow you to brew the perfect beer. Your Personal Brewery is a breakthrough created by our brewmasters through a combination of their deep love of beer and their extensive knowledge of brewing.
In 2004, whilst Ian was working out of Denmark as an international brewing consultant and professional beer taster, he was challenged by his Uncle (a frustrated homebrewer) to invent the worlds first personal brewery. After 2 years part-time research he returned to New Zealand in 2006 and started fulltime research and development with help from his friend, Anders Warn. Finally in 2011, after several rounds of serious investment, after 100 brews and blind tastings and after many industrial prototypes, the first units and the ingredients to be used in them are ready for sale.
So after 5 years of intense development, the result is cold, perfectly carbonated, clear, commercial quality beer made in 7 days, like a modern brewery. All 78 official beer styles can be made as well as the option to develop your own.
I have to say I’m skeptical, especially watching them pour the malt syrup into the contraption. And it’s not exactly cheap, either, at $5,666 NZD (which is roughly $4,436 in American dollars). It seems like it would take quite a few 23 litre batches (about 6 gallons) before it would pay for itself. And the ingredients to make one batch is $49-52 NZD ($50 = $39 USD). So after purchasing the machine, it costs $39 per batch, getting you roughly 6 gallons of beer, or the equivalent of 2 2/3 cases of 12 oz. bottles or roughly 10 six-packs with a few bottles extra). Not including the price of the machine, the cost would be about $4 per six-pack, saving you maybe $2 for a macro brew and $4-5 per craft beer sixer. Let’s call it $4 savings per six-pack ($40 per batch) and it would take you 110 batches before you broke even.
Ian Williams and Anders Warn with their Personal Brewery.
Watch the video to get a better idea of what it’s all about and how it works. What do you think? Am I crazy, or are these contraptions a bad idea that subvert the very idea of what it means to be a homebrewer? Throughout the press materials for the Personal Brewery, they talk about how it was just too hard to homebrew and the founder’s uncle wanted a simpler way to keep making beer at home. But I can’t help but wonder. Maybe his uncle should have given up and just bought beer from professionals. Does making beer using a machine that does all the work still constitute homebrewing? Certainly many of the bigger brewery’s systems are automated at various stages in the process. But I tend to think of homebrewing as a learning experience, where you learn to be a better brewer by doing, by putting in the time and the hard work. These homebrewing systems seem designed for a lazy person who wants to call themselves a “homebrewer” but without putting in any of the effort. An automatic personal brewery seems less like a hobby and more like having yet another kitchen gadget just to impress your friends. Though it’s hard not to be impressed with the engineering of it, and it is a beautiful looking machine. What do you think?
Sad. Very sad.
I have one of these machines and was a beta tester, the technology really is a breakthrough in brewing from extract, how can you see that as being negative, it creates beer in a controlled enviorment, gassed up by its own co2 and the sediment is removed while under pressure, creating the perfect beer, it is funny that you see innovation and striving for excellence as lazy, have a good look in the mirror.
As for your comments about the cost of ingredients, you should know that what you put into your brew determines what comes out, the brews recomended are expensive but are the best ingredients, if you are really a brewer you of all people should know there are plenty of ways to skin a cat, that price can be halved easily with a small ammount of compromise on quality.
I realize that as a beta tester you may be a bit biased, but you really can’t see why this may be thought of as lazy? Seriously? First of all, it’s not the “innovation and striving for excellence” (whatever that even means) that makes it lazy. Perhaps you didn’t read all the way to the end, but I did very much admire the engineering of the machine. But when you remove all the steps that make homebrewing brewing, then I (and many others based on the comments) might see that as taking shortcuts … also known as being lazy.
And yes, I agree that “what you put into your brew determines what comes out” but how is that related to the simple math of how long it would take someone to pay for the use of the Automatic Brewery? As for being the “best ingredients,” even if true they’re still the best “extract” ingredients, which most brewers would admit are not the best ingredients. That’s why commercial breweries don’t use extract to brew. You’re free to defend this, of course, just as I’m free to express a contrary opinion. But if you want your comments to be taken seriously, or be seen as anything but a shill, you may want to consider having them make sense. Oh, and I wrote this looking in the mirror, just to make sure I meant it.
Yeah. I would have to say that is definitely not brewing. Great idea though. If they added a kettle and a transfer pump to the conical fermenter/draft system then they might have something.
This is not for the very passionate home brewers anyway, It is an extract kit for one, which most technical home brewers get away from fairly quick. This is for grandpa or a rich executive conversation piece etc… This also shows how the popularity of craft beer is really growing, when gadgets like this start popping up.
Uhm… Where’s the grains and the hops? Extract brew is a great way to make beer but without Grains and hops you don’t have homebrew you have their brew. So whats the point? At least with Mr. beer or the beer machine you can make your own recipes, not just syrup combinations. Thumbs down.
I agree Jay. Why homebrew if you don’t enjoy the process? Just buy commercial beer so you don’t get stuck with 2 1/2 case of one beer style. That thing reminds me of the Keurig. People buy those things and think they are coffee experts cause they can put little plastic cups into a machine
Pretty cool engineering but it seems like a lot of money to spend on a system with which you will always be restricted to using pre-hopped extract kits.
And on the seventh day… …BEER was created!
WHAT?! Have we become this friggen lazy? Well, this laziness comes with a cost… …about $4,500 in American dollars! WOW! Is being lazy worth this much?
Let’s get an idea of what this laziness gets you… …at a yield of roughly 6-gallons per batch (a bit more than 2.5 cases), and $39 worth of ingredients to make each one, you’ll need to make 110 batches just to break even. Hmmmm… And you can’t overlook that each batch ties up the machine for 7 days, so it will take you more than 2 years’ time to hit that break-even point!
I admit that this machine is clean and beautiful. But, in the end, along with costing you time and money, it also costs you your home and craft brewing soul.
B, Out!
Hmmm, me again, I see that I have stirred up a hornets nest, just to clear a few things up, homebrewing in NZ is mainly done in homebrew kits that are brought from coopers, not the way you guys in the USA do it……….all grain etc.
The machine is not automatic it simply solves some of the problems of extract homebrewing and gives you a more consistent commercial quality beer and yes it does it in under seven days, for the NZ or Australian homebrewer this really is significant as we love drinking beer and of good quality.
When brewing in this machine you still have control of the carbonation, the ferment temperature, the sediment removal and the timing of each step, the machine simply gives you all the control that you want to get it right and make beautiful beer, The machine was designed for the extract market and I can now see that you were calling extract brewers lazy not so much targeting Ian and Anders for developing a better product for brewing from extract, well that could be true but most of us down here have always done it that way as we may not be as advanced in homebrewing as some of you guys.
I had never made a beer in my life before I came across this machine and now I am making my own beer with ease and it is exceptional quality, surely that is a good thing if it promotes the hobby around the world.
Cheers Sam
Ha, yeah, perhaps you have. I did visit the North Island with my family a few years ago, and Luke Nicholas from Epic Brewing showed me around a bit. I ended up writing an article on NZ’s beer scene for All About Beer magazine. I did notice the kits in the groceries, which are also found in most UK stores, too. We don’t have much of those in the U.S. The homebrewing scene here is more aimed toward actual brewing as opposed to what I guess might be better termed “beer making.”
Cheers,
J
Could it potentially be useful (if expensive) for fermentation control? If you read the media pack that is on their website, it mentions you can use it as an advanced user, homebrewing with grain as per usual (albeit in your standard homebrew setup) and then transfering the wort to their system?
Not to sure about the “most people in NZ use homebrew kits from Coopers” call Sam… I know a good bunch of homebrewers down here and if they are not doing all grain or partial, they are definitely looking to move away from pure extract.
Agree about the innovation, think it’s great. Don’t quite know about the target market and whether it will be a massive commercial success, however.
I like it. If you’ve got the money and want to fool around with something like this, why not?
No, it’s not brewing in the purest sense of the word — but it’s still better than buying a case of slop somewhere.
I know some folks who go berzerk over Illy espresso because it comes in these little pre-measured pouches. Not real espresso, they say, unless you roast the stinkin’ beans, grind them, etc. Meanwhile, it’s still really, really good as it’s better than 90% of the coffee you can get out there.
On the flip side, I definitely do see the argument that if you’re going to do something — take the time and effort to do something right. But for those who don’t have the time or inclination — this something is definitely better than nothing.
LAZY! Have you seen all these fancy homebrew setups, towers, stands, pumps, conicals, kegs. If someone wants to be lazy and it makes a good beer thats all that matters. Our beloved Pacific Coast Brewing in Oakland has been an extract brewpub for over 20 years. I do see that it cost a few dollars and it does not matter if we are talking US or NZ, but so does a More Beer “sculpture” I often make pancakes from a box kit and not from scratch but I am still cooking, these people are still homebrewing. Now a lager or barleywine in 7 days?
Perhaps we should all go back to stein brews, rocks, open fires, and wooden vats. Members of HAZE do it this way once a year to get back to our “roots”
Cheers, now go have a beer
Kelly Ryan, by brew kits I was thinking of the white fermentation drums that people use when starting up, research shows that not too many people get past this stage before they give up, about 32% of males in NZ have tried homebrewing and about 2% of them still do it, this machine might lure a few back if they can afford it, the proof is in the pudding and as I have said before the beer is as good as you want it to be.
David, yes you are right, if using a larger yeast it will take longer than 7 days to make a beer, at the moment I am making Cerveza style beer but using an ale yeast fermenting at about 21 deg C and could do it n 6 days if I had my eye on it.
WW has only just launched but from what I have heard, they will be looking to reduce the price of the machine with volume and in the future they could look into a cheaper version, lowering the cost of ingredients will also come with volume, the machines are basically built to order at this stage and weigh 86kg, they are basically all stainless apart from the compressor and are built to be passed down to your children.
I wish that you guys had one to play with as I can see how much you love your brewing, it won’t be too long before WW launches in your neck of the woods and you will be able to see it in person.
Cheers Sam
Yeah, to me it doesn’t look like you would actually learn much about making beer, you would just put the ingredients in and press a few buttons each day. It’s important for me to learn how to brew, to learn how different ingredient affect flavor, color, head retention, clarity, etc but this would tell me nothing.
I confess to owning a bread machine.
How does this compare? It depends if you love the feel of dough, or the satisfaction of kneading. If one wants freshly baked bread in their home, but is unable to put the energy or time into kneading, then a bread machine is perfect. Will the results ever taste or satisfy the same as what you kneaded on your dining table?
To have this beer toy as an option is great for many people wanting the heavenly smell of fermentation in their house, and the anticipation of each fermenting day. In the end, a home brew that you stirred the mash by hand has the potential to make beers that I would prefer, but to be honest, I am spoiled.
Sam, I used to brew kits for years.I gave up because the quality was so bad. I ended up learning AG brewing and discovered a huge bunch of people in NZ that are passionate about AG or BIAB or extract brewing like me. I’ve now been consistently brewing for almost 2 years and can look back now and say that I’ve only persevered because of the learning experience. Water analysis, different grain combinations, hops, yeasts, recipes, infusions, decoctions, racking, filtering, temp control…..it goes on and on. I have done all of this and become a better brewer from it. Without all of that I would have become bored and decided to buy commercial beer. Its the control and experimentation that pushes me along.
Could I have learnt the same with the Williams Warn? I doubt it very much. Is it targeted at the typical craft home brewer? I dont think so. Will it catch on with some other demographic? I hope so as this helps to elevate the status and exposure craft beer has in NZ. I do hope they have success ass this machine has been well designed and built but its NOT a replacement for the typical home brewer who wants to make cheap beer because of the initial outlay or the typical craft brewer who wants more control.
It’s seem there is a culture difference that’s causing most of this negativity. What we know well here in the U.S. is not what others know. Where I live–Missoula, Montana–I can get great beer from breweries like Deschutes, Full Sail, Sierra Nevada and our local breweries for around$6.50 a six-pack out the door ($3.99 for a sixer of 16oz cans of Miller Lite if you’re into…that). Many places around the globe know much higher rates for lesser quality. In Montana there’s no sales tax, but most other places around the globe pay A LOT in taxes to get beer in the glass. This is just one aspect to consider. Yeah, this machine is quite expensive, but if you’re paying two or three times what I pay AND extract is still king, well, what’s the difference figuratively between this and one of the many super push-button sculptures?
At first I was pretty appalled that anyone would pay that kind of money for an extract machine, particularly when for that kind of money IN THE U.S. you could get a kick-ass all-grain system. But after I reminded myself I’m an American and that the world doesn’t revolve around AMERICA (this is hard to shake because I’m from the traditional, Southern, conservative Christian family), it made sense that this could fit the market of a parallel universe. Would MoreBeer be able to sell some of their current big and shiny concoctions 10 years ago across the U.S.?
I recently had a brief internet encounter with Ian about how this would be perfect for lazy Americans and how light lagers were probably big with these–me completely ignoring the extra effort it takes to make one, much less that it’s geared to ales. He helped me realize that hardcore homebrewers are a much smaller group than we think. Just because I will spend $120 on a set of very technical brewing books–all the while I’m in a bit of a tight financial state, pinching pennies in just about all other areas of my life–doesn’t mean MOST homebrewers will. That neck of the woods is pretty darn hot too. From my experiences, there aren’t too many places on this planet were you a large amount of its citizens are constantly upgrading their stuff and even throwing it away sometimes, for bigger and better. Good fermentation control isn’t just a couples of clicks on Craigslist for a $50, or even free, fridge most places around the world. You can do it yourself, but you’ve really got to love it and have the know-how. Kind of along the lines as said before, I REALLY like artisten breads, but I’m just not into spending the time regularly to make it myself. Luckily I have a couple great, affordable options near me. In many markets I’ve been to in the U.S., I would pay about a dollar or two more per loaf–if it was even available at all. That might be the push to get a bread maker. Not all-grain yet, but one step closer. I get use to the quality and the extra work, so I’m probably not too far off from all by hand on a weekend. Ian also said once this latches on well enough, they will make an all-grain version and could even be converted into a stil.
Rant complete; )
Syrup is for wankers.