Anheuser-Busch and Keurig Dr Pepper anounced today the end of Drinkworks, a company based on a capsule based cocktail and beer machine jointly developed by both companies.
Nearly five years ago, AB InBev went public with the announcement that its U.S. arm Anheuser-Busch has teamed up with Keurig Dr Pepper to develop an in-home alcohol drink system based on Keurig’s K-Cup pods. (inside.beer, 8.1.2017) “The product would be born in a brewery, distilled to a super-concentrated form, packaged and sealed at peak freshness and then be prepared fresh in people’s homes,” Nathaniel Davis, President and CEO at Drinkworks said at that time.
The company released several popular cocktails, long drinks and other alcoholic beverages like Mojito, Mai Tai, Margarita, Moscow Mule, Diaquiry, Whiskey-Cola, Sangria and Cider in a capsule-based form to be prepared at home with its own device, called Drinkworks Home Bar which started selling at the end of 2018.
However, in contrast to its earlier announcements, the company failed to offer beer prepared with its machines. “We have Stella Artois Cidre available now, and we’re testing variants from some of our US craft brands, as well as Beck’s and Bass. However, we’re still perfecting the experience to make it more user-friendly,” Davis said in November 2018. (inside.beer,15.11.2018)
Now, another three years later, with still no beer at Drinkworks, Anheuser-Busch and Keurig Dr Pepper have to admit that the experiment has failed, and both partners are pulling the plug.
“On December 15, 2021 we made the difficult decision to close Drinkworks, with sales of Drinkmaker machines ceasing immediately. Cocktail pods, CO2 and accessories will continue to be available to purchase on Drinkworks.com and at participating retailers until March 31, 2022, or while supplies last,” Davis announced.
As the Drinkworks machine will no longer be able to be replaced or serviced, Drinkworks is offering its clients to receive reimbursement for their system. The offer is valid until February 28, 2022.
