Yet another "unique" homebrew kit.

[jivex5k]

So, no boiling? Eh I guess MR B didn't have a boil either, guessing they will be using HMEs.
No reuse? What's so special in the barrel that PBW soak and Star San can't eliminate?
3 categories for hops? Uhhhhhhhhhh
Simultaneous fermentation and carbonation is actually cool. Biggest concern I see is the beer residing on the yeast cake for it's entire lifespan, and maybe some weird reaction I don't know about from co2 embedding into the wort during the primary.

If you could re-use this though I could see it working. And they could make sustainable income on the custom refills like Mr. B does.

[mashani]

Simultaneous fermentation and carbonation is actually cool. Biggest concern I see is the beer residing on the yeast cake for it's entire lifespan, and maybe some weird reaction I don't know about from co2 embedding into the wort during the primary

Well not that I like the idea of these kits, but those two things I'd not be two worried about because

1) it's only a gallon of beer, so it's not going to last very long, and by the time you actually pour the last bit if you start at 1 week it might actually be done LOL...

2) the co2 from primary is a good bit of the co2 you would get in a real hand pumped really authentic British cask ale. Nothing wrong with that co2, it's still co2... said cask ale is also likely living on a good bit of trub too btw. Sometimes the are fermented in the cask, and carbed by simply putting in a bung to bottle up the remaining co2 and the little bit still produced right before it's finished, then served a week or so later. So that ties back to 1 too. But it will all get consumed fast too, like in a few days. So again no time for the yeast cake to really muck up the beer. If it was left in there for 8 weeks, then it would be a problem perhaps.

I'm pretty sure they got their "idea" of how to make it work based on how British cask ales are done. But a real cask ale is a 3% abv beer, and actually can be done and good to drink in 7-10 days if you pitch enough yeast of the right type (highly flocculating rapid fermenter, IE a good British yeast). I'm unclear just how strong of a beer their mixes are supposed to make. If it's much more then 3%, I don't see this going well unless they provide a huge amount of yeast, and seriously limit their yeast selection to only cleaner and highly flocculate yeasts, because the amount of yeast necessary isn't going to provide the appropriate character for highly yeast driven styles if pitched in such high amounts (high amounts = growth phase? what growth phase?!), and/or you will get beer that looks like muddy water coming out of that thing, and some folks will have um... reactions... to consuming that much yeast in suspension.

[DaYooper]

MrB could do the same thing by making the LBK disposable, charging $5 less than BrewBarrel and getting almost twice as much beer. Brilliant!