I so admire initiative in the young people today. And so I'm pleased to report on the ongoing development of a next-generation home-brewing machine designed to streamline the process of making your own beer.
As for myself, I no longer partake in the delights of fermented
beverages. This follows from the infamous Prague Incident of 1997. To
my everlasting regret, I attempted to finish some economic position
papers while sampling the local microbrew. The night ended with me
collapsing several Eastern European economies in a in a binge of Cold
War sentiment. You know, "for old times' sake." As with so many things,
I feel badly about that now (TM).
Moving on. Endeavoring Young Person (and, significantly, Popular
Science staff photographer) John Carnett has been working on a machine
he simply calls "The Device." It's a stainless-steel brewing system,
incorporating many delightful leaps of imagination, that automates
several of the manual tasks typically required in a home-brewing
operation. The Device starts with the pre-beer sludge called
"concentrated wort" and produces, at the end of the process, a chilled
pint.
By use of separated carts wired together in a closed system, the Device
can boil or chill, depending on what's needed. A complex
temperature-control system regulates the fermentation process, and
pressurized hoses keep everything flowing. It requires no power, when
not fermenting or dispensing, and once set into action has a cold beer
ready for pouring at all times.
Next up for Carnett -- attaching a third system that will allow production of beer from raw grain. If I may make a humble suggestion -- how about an add-on unit that automatically dispenses aspirin and coffee 6-10 hours after the last beer is poured?
Always thinking!
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