South Korea: LG unveils capsule-based home brew system

South Korean multinational electronics company LG Electronics will unveil a new capsule-based home brew system at the next Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which will open its doors in three weeks in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In contrast to the Drinkworks Home Bar, a beer and cocktail machine developed in a joint venture of Keurig and Anheuser-Busch (inside.beer, 15.11.2018), the capsules do not contain prebrewed and concentrated beer but all the brewing ingredients to brew and ferment a beer. Therefore, the product is not ready to drink the same day as with other solutions. On the other hand, the beer is brewed at home and gives the consumer the satisfaction of brewing himself. Currently five distinctive beer styles are available including hoppy American IPA, golden American Pale Ale, full-bodied English Stout, zesty Belgian-style Witbier and dry Czech Pilsner.

The machine “with one-touch activation" is designed to make the brewing process easy. "With a set of single-use capsules – which contain malt, yeast, hop oil and flavoring – and the press of a button, users can relax as LG HomeBrew automates the whole procedure from fermentation, carbonation and aging to serving and cleaning,” said LG in a press statement. “A free companion app (for Android and iOS devices) lets users check HomeBrew’s status at anytime, anywhere.”

Not only brewing but also cleaning is simplified. “The clever capsule system also removes all the cleaning-related frustrations associated with traditional home-brewing methods. It automatically sanitizes using nothing more than hot water, ensuring everything is hygienically clean for the next batch,” the statement goes on.

“LG HomeBrew is the culmination of years of home appliance and water purification technologies that we have developed over the decades,” said Song Dae-hyun, president of LG Electronics Home Appliance & Air Solution Company. “Homebrewing has grown at an explosive pace but there are still many beer lovers who haven’t taken the jump because of the barrier to entry and these are the consumers we think will be attracted to LG HomeBrew.”

It has to be seen how the new system will be accepted in relation to other already existing systems, like BeerDroid, Minibrew (inside.beer, 17.5.2017) and PicoBrew (inside.beer, 4.4.2017). PicoBrew, a pioneer in fully automated home brew systems in which AB InBev holds a minority interest, announced to start selling its second and more advanced model Pico U next month (inside.beer, 16.5.2018).

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