Beer home brewing has been around for millennia but the actual brewing process has not changed over the years. The home brewing process requires almost ten different brewing equipment (i.e. pots, buckets, siphons, tubes, and bottles) and space to carry out the fermentation process. To produce quality beer, there is a great deal of time and resources required as you have to constantly change and monitor the process. With so many variables that can impact the process, it is sometimes difficult to produce commercial quality beer. As a result, many beer lovers just stick to purchasing commercially available beer as it is the easier option available. However, the folks at Brew Jacket are trying to provide an alternative solution to home brewing with an automated countertop brewer called the BEERMKR (pronounced Beer Maker). Before we learn more about this new device, let’s look at the beer making process itself to get a better understanding of beer brewing process.
How is Beer Made
There are four main ingredients in Beer including Water, Grains (malted barley), Hops, and Yeast. All four ingredients contribute their own parts to the beer and they are each added in their own step. The first step involves mixing the crushed malt with hot water in a step called the Mash. Malt is basically barley that has been germinated cereal grains that have been dried. There are many ways to make different variety and styles of malt by varying the malting process to produce a whole range of colors and flavors of different malts (e.g. dark, roasted, etc). Most of the beers have many different types of malt recipes to produce different colors and flavors. All of the sugar that the yeast uses for fermentation comes from the malt. The sweet flavors of beers come from malt that have larger sugars that yeast is not able to ferment, which results in a sweet tasting beer. The amount of malt also determines how strong the beer will get and the type of malt determines the color of the beer.
The next ingredient is hops, which are cone shaped flowers used primarily as a stability, flavoring, and bittering agent in beer. The hops are added during the boil in a kettle, after separating the sweet hot liquid from the grains. Once the boil is done, the liquid has to be cooled down before it is mixed with the yeast in the fermentor. The yeast metabolizes the sugar from malt and turns it into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The yeast also produces other flavors and characteristics of beer. There are two species of yeast that can be used including ale and lager, which makes the difference between ales and lagers. The ale yeast ferments warmer and faster, producing more esters giving the beer with fruity flavors. The lager yeast ferments cooler and slower, requiring more maturation time after the end of the fermentation in order to get the desired flavors. After fermentation, the beer is carbonated and fully settled before dispensing into bottles.
The BEERMKR
The BEERMKR is an all-in-one countertop brewer that can perform brewing and fermentation by itself. The creators claim that it can produce more than a gallon of beer with commercial quality in seven days. The BEERMKR also allows you to customize the recipes on the machine, avoiding the mess associated with traditional home brewing.
The BEERMKR includes a recyclable pouch that makes it easy to produce multiple batches in sanitized environment and the need for additional equipment is also eliminated. The device is technologically advanced with incorporation of WiFi, temperature control and CO2 monitoring system. The BEERMKR can be controlled using your smartphone, which allows you to monitor the brewing cycle from anywhere in the world.
The BEERMKR Brewing Process
The BEERMKR has three isolation chambers and quick-disconnect valves that are used to remove ingredients at the right time. The malt flows between the brew pouch, brewing chamber, and the collection bin. The grains and hops are removed from brewing chamber after brewing is complete. The yeast is added during fermentation phase, which then falls into the collection bin and clean beer stays in the pouch.
The beer brewing process takes around five minutes to start. There are three main steps, which include placement of ingredients, brewing pouch, and addition of water. Once the start button pressed using the app, the BEERMKR starts the brewing process. The CO2 sensors track the activity of the yeast and adjusts temperature according to the profile for the strain of the yeast. The app notifies you when it is time to pitch yeast, add dry hops, or to remove beer for dispensing.
Once the fermentation is complete, the beer pouch can be removed and placed inside the draft dispenser. The CO2 cartridge is plugged directly into the dispenser, which can be placed into the fridge. The beer is carbonated as it is stored in the fridge and ready to dispense in 24 hours. 
There are multiple beer brewing kits available for BEERMKR with an estimated cost of $1 per 12 oz beer. There are six different kits available including Redwood IPA, Ghost Ale, Future IPA, Easy Ale, Squeaky Lager, and Chubby Stout.
The BEERMKR Technology
The BEERMKR utilizes immersion pro technology, which was first developed by the same group to manage solid state fermentation without refrigeration. The immersion technology allows precise temperature control during fermentation process with solid state heat exchange. The second major piece is the brew pouch, which is completely sealed, oxygen impermeable, and portable. The pouch has a conical shape and sits between the brewing chamber and waste compartment. This allows the brewing solids to fall down into the collection chamber. When the brew is ready, the pouch detaches from the brewing and collection chamber and the beer doesn’t need to be transferred, preventing exposure to oxygen and germs that cause rapid degradation of beer.
The BEERMKR provides a closed system that is critical to ensure defect free beer. The unit has a circuit board, temperature and pressure sensors that can see exactly what is happening inside the beer maker at any point in the brewing process. The data is fed in real time to the cloud and it is compared against other successful brews, which allows real time adjustments to the batch. The BEERMKR cloud learns and evolves using the data as beer styles change and new ingredients come into existence.
Pricing and Availability
The BEERMKR is currently available on Kickstarter as a project with pledged goal of $100,000 and it has already raised $146,000 with 457 backers and 25 days to go. The pledge option for $299 is no longer available, which would have provided you with BeerMKR Brewing System, 1x MKR KIT and a Dispenser. The good news is that you can still get this for $329 with 481 pledges left. The BEERMKR system will be available in March 2019 and it will ship anywhere in the world.
The basic mechanism and processes used by beer makers have existed throughout the history of beer brewing but the technology to bring them together in one small package hasn’t existed until very recently. Between your family and work, there is very little time left for additional activities like beer brewing. The BEERMKR allows you brew your beer without spending too much time on the messy part of the process.
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I am officially a tech addict and enjoy providing my views on matters related to this industry. I am always interested in trying out new tech gadgets and I have owned multiple smartphones including the legendary HTC One, SGS2, Nexus 4, iPhone 4, 5S, 6S, XR, Note 9. You can ask me any tech related questions in the comment section or on twitter @hookedNav