The Beer Machine

[Baulko Brewer]

My wife was at Target yesterday and picked up a brochure for the beer machine http://www.beermachine.com/

From what I can gather it ferments the beer and carbonates without changing vessels. CO2 is provided by natural ferment and Co2 cartridges. It only holds 10l batches but sits nicely in your fridge for easy pour.

Has anybody seen these?? Currently about $129 and includes a "just add water" throwaway beer mix, but i am sure you make your own in the fermenter.

 

[Supra-Jim]

Similar item to this, which has been around for quite a while i think: http://www.partypig.com/

Cheers SJ

 

[DU99]

Packs about $32 for three and gas

 

[fcmcg]

Has anybody seen these?? Currently about $129 and includes a "just add water" throwaway beer mix, but i am sure you make your own in the fermenter.

BB, Everythying is done in the machine AFAIK...
The machine is your fermenter....
Personally , you could google Nicks $30 AG thread and make a far better beer !
Don't let the Mrs buy you one lol....
Tell her to buy you a big pot and some swiss voile for that type of money !
This is of course my opinion !
Cheers
Ferg

 

[manticle]

Similar item to this, which has been around for quite a while i think: http://www.partypig.com/

Cheers SJ

Party pig is just a dispensing unit whereas this beer machine is an all in one unit- budget version of the williams warn brewery maybe. Mix, ferment, condition, dispense.

Might be useful to some. Takes all the fun out of brewing in my eyes.

I also love marketting bullshit. 'Most other methods of brewing require you to add a mountain of sugar'???? 'Nothing tastes better than beer served directly from the container it's made in'??

OK

 

[Wolfy]

From what I can gather it ferments the beer and carbonates without changing vessels. CO2 is provided by natural ferment and Co2 cartridges. It only holds 10l batches but sits nicely in your fridge for easy pour.

Has anybody seen these?? Currently about $129 and includes a "just add water" throwaway beer mix, but i am sure you make your own in the fermenter.

That's exactly what it does, if you brewed a number of British Ale type beers it might be useful, however there does not appear to be any way to 'recharge' CO2 so you might have trouble with serving the last 1/2 batch, and the pickup tube looks very rudimentary so it seems you may pickup yeast very easily when pouring.

If it was about 15% of the price it is, I'd buy one just for the novelty factor, but just don't believe all the garbage on the website/literature that it makes beer better or quicker or different to a normal plastic fermentor, all it does is trap the CO2 during fermentation to carbonate the beer.

 

[Florian]

I don't think it's targeted at home brewers. It's targeted at people who drink beer but have no idea how it's made and wife's who run out of ideas of what to give their husband for birthday/christmas/whatever.
I have been asked by two wifes already who had seen it somewhere and wanted to know if I though it was a good present for their husband.

In my opinion it's a novelty gadget that wears of as soon as you realise that you have to wait a few weeks to get new beer once the 'barrel' is empty after the first run.

 

[Malted]

I don't think it's targeted at home brewers. It's targeted at people who drink beer but have no idea how it's made and wife's who run out of ideas of what to give their husband for birthday/christmas/whatever.
I have been asked by two wifes already who had seen it somewhere and wanted to know if I though it was a good present for their husband.

In my opinion it's a novelty gadget that wears of as soon as you realise that you have to wait a few weeks to get new beer once the 'barrel' is empty after the first run drinking session

I did some editing above for you Florian.

When you said you've been asked by two wives already, I was thinking, crikey how many does he have? I thought polygamy isn't that common in Germany. But then you qualified it.

 

[argon]

Or you could do it properly for another $50...

Bunnings 25L fermenter and tap $15
PVC Transfer hose $3
CO2 Keg Charger + Disconnect $43.50
CO2 Keg Charger Bulbs - 16GM (5 pack) $19.90
1 Keg - 19L Cornelius (Used) $70.00
Bronco Faucet & Hose $14.90
Quick Disconnect Barb (Beer) $13.50
Total: $179.80...






(the above has been posted elsewhere... I just remembered how cheap kegging can be)

 

[humulus]

The neighbour got one last Xmas,he brewed a ready to go in the bag pilsner,which came with the "Beermachine"
It tasted like shit!!!!
Money can be better spent else where.You might be able to score one on the footpath in the next council clean up next to the AB-DOER situp machine :icon_chickcheers:

 

[Murcluf]

Seen the beer machine get crucified on a US forum a couple of years back. Those who had tried the beers said it was crap. There was an excellent example argument based around packet cake vs cake made from scratch at home or a bakery. End of the day its beer in a sachet what more can you expect, but then again there are people out there how think that fermenting a can of goo and a bag of sugar with 5g of dried yeast at 27c is the ducks nuts when it comes to brewing too.

 

[poppa joe]

I bought one for $5.00 at a Garage Sale....
You need to replace things repeatedly. From America ..cant remember what...
I had alook at it and put it on a shelf where i cant get to it..
They are a pain..
Save your wife's money....
PJ

 

[petesbrew]

Something a little more shite
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/science/dd60/

 

[Florian]

Something a little more shite
http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/science/dd60/

Fortunately they can't ship this outside the US.

 

[J Grimmer]

"The plants you grow today could become the beer you drink tomorrow" gold, I wonder if they also sell a yeast farm?

Jan

 

[Baulko Brewer]

When the missus showed me the brochure I laughed it off as a gimmicky fathers day item. I assume that that is the market it is intended for. I thought it quite humerous, hence the post

 

[dcx3]

How dare those damn seppo's quote Henry Lawson to flog there crap!

 

[Chooky88]

Bought one. It's a trap! See my lengthy post in the pub re the de former discs.

 

[thecentennial]

Resurrecting an old thread.

forget the packets specially made for this thing - the user guide says it can be used to make beer from other kits.

As this is just 10L - would I e.g. boil up a single can of unhopped malt, add hops, cool then stick in the BM for fermentation (with a good yeast)?

Would I just half the amounts for e.g. a 20/23 L extract brew i.e. half number of hops and half amount of yeast? I am also assuming you would not have to add additional sugars i.e. the can of goo is all one needs.

Would this work?

I know you only get 10 L, but just wondering if this could be done and produce the same quality of beer as a 20/23l batch (if you only use it as a FV).

Thanks

 

[thedragon]

Would this work?

Assuming there was no other FV available it could work. But be careful taking it in to the desert. Perhaps you could throw away the box before you take it in and call it a water cooler if questioned.

If the beer machine device doesn't have a spot for an airlock you could either 1) drill a hole in the lid and fit a grommet and airlock, or 2) after filling the device with wort, put on the lid (assuming that there is one) and unscrew it by half a turn. If using option 2, check Manticle's article on brewing in a cube. Substitute the word cube in the article with 'beer machine device'

Most recipes that you come across will be for 20 or 23 litres. It's absolutely fine for you to scale down (or up) a recipe. Dividing a 20 litre recipe by 2 to get 10 litres should be fine. Although you could also download beermate (google it), put in the recipe you are wanting to replicate, then adjust the volume to 10 litres. Should be self explanatory. If not, feel free to ask.

Good luck! Let us know how you go.