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'Personal Brewery' produces beer in seven days

'Personal Brewery' produces beer in seven days
Ian Williams and and Anders Warn, with the WilliamsWarn beer brewing machine
Ian Williams and and Anders Warn, with the WilliamsWarn beer brewing machine
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The WilliamsWarn brewing machine produces beer from supplied ingredients within seven days
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The WilliamsWarn brewing machine produces beer from supplied ingredients within seven days
Ian Williams and and Anders Warn, with the WilliamsWarn beer brewing machine
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Ian Williams and and Anders Warn, with the WilliamsWarn beer brewing machine

Home beer-brewing is sort of like writing a novel - although you might like the idea of having done it, the thought of all the work involved in doing it can be off-putting. If the PR materials are to be believed, however, the WilliamsWarn brewing machine could make the process a lot easier ... and quicker. Unlike the four weeks required by most home brewing systems, it can reportedly produce beer in just seven days.

The WilliamsWarn was created by New Zealand "beer-thinkers" Ian Williams and Anders Warn, and was released in that country this April. The duo claim that it addresses 12 of the key challenges thwarting many home brewers, including the carbonation process, temperature control, and clarification.

Kind of like a Mr. Coffee (perhaps they should have called it "Mr. Beer"), the machine reportedly incorporates all the hardware needed for brewing. This includes a stainless steel pressure vessel with carbonation level control, and systems to control factors such as clarification, sediment removal, temperature, and gas dispensation. Last, but certainly not least, it also features a draft dispense mechanism, for pouring out a glass of the chilled "commercial quality" finished product.

The WilliamsWarn brewing machine produces beer from supplied ingredients within seven days
The WilliamsWarn brewing machine produces beer from supplied ingredients within seven days

Users spend about 90 minutes cleaning and sterilizing the system, and adding supplied ingredients at the beginning of the process. After that, minimal input is required until a week later, at which point 23 liters (6 U.S. gallons) of beer should be ready for drinking. Part of the reason that it's able to make beer so quickly is the fact that the carbonation and fermentation processes take place simultaneously. The clarification process is also said to take no more than one day.

The WilliamsWarn brewing machine is currently only available in New Zealand, although its makers hope to expand to the Australian and American markets soon. It sells for NZ$5,660 (US$4,577), plus NZ$39.50 (US$32) for the ingredients for each batch of beer.

Source: Popular Science

9 comments
9 comments
Denis Klanac
scale this up to 50L and i\'m in!
catonb
Nice, it\'s contained system. I don\'t understand the 4 weeks to make beer, I can make beer in 5 to 7 days with forced carbonation. I wonder how much of the carbon dioxide it keeps, the primary fermentation would release much more than needed to give it bubbles. Neat system; I wonder though how complicated of a beer can you create: can you make a lambic? Also the price is steep. For about $200 USD I can get the initial equipment to make the beer and keg it. The ingredients could be as cheap as $15, if you know how to deal with whole grains. Then it\'s just a matter of about an hour cooking, and 5 to 7 days fermenting. With forced carbonation you could be drinking as soon as it is done, or 2 days for a secondary fermentation.
Fairly Reasoner
\"Kind of like a Mr. Coffee (perhaps they should have called it \"Mr. Beer\")\"

Well, you know, smartasses, there already is a Mr. Beer:

http://www.mrbeer.com/category-exec/category_id/139
paolocalzavara
i agree, nice but expensive.
Frank191
Very nice, but also very expensive. With a 100$ starting kit and 40$ malt kits I make microbrewery-quality beer. I don\'t care if its 4 week, a little coordination and you never run out of beer. It\'s juste the first batch that is a little longer to make. And I guess the fermenter is used also as the keg, so once the beer is finished, you have to wait for 7 days until your can drink your own beer again...
Martin Rayner
Great concept. Wonderful technology. You don\'t need carbonation for a proper English beer. All you need to do is supply it at 10% of the price and it would be a winner in England
PeetEngineer
I struggle to justify spending that much when I can create beer in a week myself with just some malted wheat/barley, water, sugar and yeast in a plastic keg.
I would expect such a system to auto-sterilize for that much money, otherwise I think I\'ll stay low-tech.
John Wilkins
This product is for the middle class douche that shops at Costco and buys the 1900 dollar BBQ Grills. They will sell well with that crowd.
Podzak
Over £2 grand? O do be brief!