BeerBorg

No, I haven't had a beer from one of these machines. So there's that. But I do know that the HME kits I started with can't hold a candle to my original AG recipes. And I know that bottled barbecue sauce can't hold a candle to my homemade Jack Daniels barbecue sauce. And I know that Dinty Moore Beef Stew can't hold a candle to my homemade slow-cooker beef stew.

If you're going to call it homebrew, fine. Yes, it was made in someone's home, so I guess that makes it homebrew. And maybe it can be tweaked, the same way people tweak Mr. Beer or BrewDemon recipes.

It ain't the same, in my opinion. There's no grading curve here. Sorry if I sound like a snob, but instant anything can't compare to a more detailed process.

FedoraDave wrote:No, I haven't had a beer from one of these machines. So there's that. But I do know that the HME kits I started with can't hold a candle to my original AG recipes. And I know that bottled barbecue sauce can't hold a candle to my homemade Jack Daniels barbecue sauce. And I know that Dinty Moore Beef Stew can't hold a candle to my homemade slow-cooker beef stew.

If you're going to call it homebrew, fine. Yes, it was made in someone's home, so I guess that makes it homebrew. And maybe it can be tweaked, the same way people tweak Mr. Beer or BrewDemon recipes.

It ain't the same, in my opinion. There's no grading curve here. Sorry if I sound like a snob, but instant anything can't compare to a more detailed process.

To every turn

FedoraDave wrote:No, I haven't had a beer from one of these machines. So there's that. But I do know that the HME kits I started with can't hold a candle to my original AG recipes. And I know that bottled barbecue sauce can't hold a candle to my homemade Jack Daniels barbecue sauce. And I know that Dinty Moore Beef Stew can't hold a candle to my homemade slow-cooker beef stew.

If you're going to call it homebrew, fine. Yes, it was made in someone's home, so I guess that makes it homebrew. And maybe it can be tweaked, the same way people tweak Mr. Beer or BrewDemon recipes.

It ain't the same, in my opinion. There's no grading curve here. Sorry if I sound like a snob, but instant anything can't compare to a more detailed process.

As far as I can tell, the big difference here is that this machine actually makes AG beer. Ultra small batches and fully automated...I bet you can even program in steps to match whatever recipe you like. So I'm guessing the quality is actually pretty good.

But again, that's just a guess--and I actually like spending the time brewing, so it's not for me, either (especially not at that price!). If I want a short brew day, I can make great beer with just some DME, hops and yeast.

Yes, Jon.

I guess the thing that rankles me is that they're taking my process, automating it, and telling someone, "This is your homebrewed beer."

I have a couple of extract recipes that I really enjoy. But the difference, for me, is that I still created them, and therefore I still "own" them.

FedoraDave wrote:Yes, Jon.
I guess the thing that rankles me is that they're taking my process, automating it, and telling someone, "This is your homebrewed beer."

I would say that it is homebrewed beer if you use your own ingredients instead of buying a manufactured pod (which you can do with this thing). If so, it is made with the same ingredients you are using. It can step mash. You can program in whatever recipe you want. It just lets you do it without a bunch of heavy / large equipment and a lot of time spent. Maybe that's not how some of us want to do it - we enjoy the process as such - but that doesn't mean this little box isn't doing the same process, just in a little self enclosed black box. That's what a Zymatic Pico Brew does too. Or a Williams Warren thing. And to some extent a Braumeister and the like (except for the fermentation part). All things that some folks on the Borg actually own and use.

So yes it's "easy mode" homebrewed beer, but not so much different then a large scale fully programmable brewing system, except in a little bitty self enclosed box.

You could plug any of your own recipe's into it and make them as 5L batches and they likely will taste very much the same as long as you scaled them properly.

You may not enjoy doing so, because it takes everything but your creativity out of the loop. If you enjoy the physical aspects of brewing - getting your hands involved - then sure it sucks. But if you don't, it would let you do the same things we do - just in little bitty batches and more automated.