"The Device"

This is a classic example of having too much time and money on your hands.  Or maybe just being a gadget kind of person.  John Carnett, a staff photographer at PopSci, has built an all-in-one beer making and serving device.  It allows you to brew, ferment, store and serve all on one easy mounted skid.  Not exactly how I would go about spending money on brewing equipment, though.  I would compare this to a bread making machine...functional but lacking in the fun department.  Too much automation and its hard to claim "hand crafted" any more.  (Note: I am hardly one to talk about spending money on brewing equipment, so I won't knock them too much in that department.  I just think it would be more beneficial to buy something like a kegerator.  The beer keeps much longer when stored cold and not in room temperature kegs!)  Total bill for the project?  $4,315.  Yep...that's a decent chunk of change.  But as MasterCard would say...somethings are "priceless".

There is also a You Tube video out there, but I did not want to embed a link.  The details on the brewing process are presented in a manner that I think could lead to confusion.  Watch it at your own risk!  I found the story over at gizmodo.com through a Google search.  Thanks to Matthew Sparkes for posting the story.

Comments

[Jonathan]

I saw the video and read the article. I agree that it's pretty unnecessary for the most part. Though using one cold plate to cool the wort, keep the fermenter at the right temperature and serve cold beer is a pretty cool idea. The fact that it only brews extract beer is a definite deal breaker, however.

[Jonathan]

I saw the video and read the article. I agree that it's pretty unnecessary for the most part. Though using one cold plate to cool the wort, keep the fermenter at the right temperature and serve cold beer is a pretty cool idea. The fact that it only brews extract beer is a definite deal breaker, however.

[Jonathan]

I saw the video and read the article. I agree that it's pretty unnecessary for the most part. Though using one cold plate to cool the wort, keep the fermenter at the right temperature and serve cold beer is a pretty cool idea. The fact that it only brews extract beer is a definite deal breaker, however.

[Robert]

There's nothing automated about it. He's doing everything manually. He also never claims that it is automated. He calls it an "all-in-one" brewing device--"The Device." He just took about $800 of brewing equipment, threw it on a $400 stainless steel cart, and priced it at $4300. It's not all-grain. It only brews extract--doesn't take any automation to boil water. However, he does have a temperature controller on the fermenter.