BeerMKR on 'Shark Tank': What is the cost, who are the founders and how can you brew your own beer in a week?
Brewing beer is an art, one that has been around for centuries. According to records, the Sumerians of ancient Mesopotamia were brewing their own beer about 5,000 years ago! So, it's safe to say that over the years the process of brewing beer has become more sophisticated and customizable, but one thing that remains the same is the amount of time and effort that takes into brewing the perfect batch of beer.
If you ask any homebrewer about their process of brewing this popular beverage, then you will most likely hear them rant about the amount of effort it takes into brewing beer the old-fashioned way. To give you an idea of what it involves you can expect the usage of buckets, hoses, bottles, and countless rounds of sterilizing, boiling, and of course the waiting period, and cleaning up the mess. This extremely labor-intensive and time-intensive process has put many people off from brewing their own special blend of beer and instead resorting to buying it from stores or stocking up on craft beers. If you're a homebrew enthusiast or someone who likes a very specific kind of beer, and often found yourself wishing for a machine like Keurig but for beer, then BeerMKR is the answer to all your prayers. Read on to know all about this nifty brewing and fermentation machine that makes the process of brewing beer fun, without any of the mess and complexity that comes with traditional homebrewing.
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What is BeerMKR?
Brett Vegas, CMO of BerrMKR describes BeerMKR as "Keurig of beer". You simply need to press a button to brew your delicious cup of coffee with Keurig, it's the same with BeerMKR, but instead of coffee, you get your very own perfectly crafted and fermented beer. BrewMKR is an all-in-one beer brewing machine that fits seamlessly on your countertop, and with which you can brew your own customized beer in just a week. The website describes BeerMKR machine as, "The world's first automatic beer-brewing machine that anyone can use. It makes over a gallon of craft beer in a week's time."
The BeerkMKR machine has three compartments neatly fitted into a sleek and compact machine. You can either use the brand's premixed ingredients known as MKR kits or experiment with your own ingredients to make a customized blend. You need to place these ingredients in the top compartment, add water into it, and hit the start button. The BeerMKR will then combine the water with hops and malt while cooking it into unfermented beer called wort.
The cooked beer flows into a conical-shaped pouch that's placed in the middle compartment. One of the unique features of BeerMKR is the app that's provided with it, which not only provides you step-by-step instructions but also notifies you about the status of the brew, and automatically heats and cools the beer during the fermentation process. So, after the beer is done cooking and collected into the conical-shaped pouch, the app will notify you to add the yeast. Once the yeast is added the fermentation process begins within the pouch. BeerMKR takes care of the temperature and monitors the entire process so that you can just sit back and relax. When fermentation is complete, you will get a notification on your phone that it's time to transfer your beer to the included BEERTAP. Inside the BEERTAP, the beer will carbonate with the help of a CO2 gas cartridge. After the carbonation is done, pat yourself on the back and pour yourself a pint of beer and enjoy the fruit of your labor.
You can watch the founder of BeerMKR- Aaron Walls explain the nitty-gritty of the BeerMKR machine, and demonstrate how to use it here
Who are the founders?
Aaron Walls and Brett Vegas are the brains behind BeerMKR. This nifty machine was born out of a class project idea while the founders alongside two others were studying MBA at Cornell. The original product was called the BrewJacket, a fermentation temperature-control device that could be used by homebrewers. After they graduated, they got busy with their demanding jobs, family, kids, etc, and didn't have any time left to pursue their passion of brewing beer at home. Their biggest deterrent of brewing beer at home was the amount of time it involved, something they couldn't spare owing to their demanding lives.
“But we all wanted a way to keep brewing and experimenting with ingredients and flavors, so ultimately, we made BEERMKR for us! We wanted an easier, faster, less labor-intensive way to make consistent and delicious beer," explained Brett Vegas, CMO of the company, in an interview with Daily Camera. So they decided to come up with something that simplified the home brewing process. “Homebrewing is challenging, complex, time-consuming, and requires a lot of equipment,” Walls says. “We set out to solve these problems by creating a system that anyone could use.”
The duo invested a lot in research and development to come up with BeerMKR, a consumer-friendly, all-in-one brewing machine that makes brewing beer at home fun and easy process. "BeerMKR arose out of hundreds of conversations with brewers and non-brewers around the hobby of home brewing." Walls added, "BeerMKR is a game changer because it democratizes the beer brewing process, allowing millions of people the opportunity to brew beer who otherwise couldn’t."
What is the cost and where to buy the BrewMKR from?
You can get your very own 'Keurig of beer' for $579. A BeerMKR kit comprises of- one BeerMKR machine, one BEERTAP for storing your beer, and one MKR kit of the customer's choice. The MKR kit comes with all the ingredients pre-measured and packaged for brewing the beer of your choice. You can also get Extra BEERTAPs for $119, and a four-pack MKRkit for $59, and a six-pack MKRKit for $89. With each kit, you can brew the equivalent of 12 bottles or cans of beer. You can place an order for the BrewMKR from the brand's website here.
This all-in-one brewing machine has already built a strong following amongst beer enthusiasts. Their website and Instagram page is filled with rave reviews about their MKRkits and BrewMKR machine. A user named Dave A left a glowing review on the brand's website. He wrote, "I started my first batch 8 days ago. The tutorial for starting was excellent, I had no problems. Pitching the yeast and adding hops was also very easy. I am looking forward to when I can transfer the wort bag to the BEERTAP and carbonate. I am planning to brew soon as I don't think the Chubby Stout will last very long. Purchasing the BEERMKR and BEERTAP is a great investment."
Where is the BrewMKR now?
BeerMKR is currently making some tweaks to their system's hardware based on the feedback they received from the Kickstarter campaign's customers, while also working on trying to make the product available on Amazon and Costco. Vegas told the publication, "We are ready to start marketing the product to the masses." They are currently looking for an investor who can help them with driving the growth of BeerMKR. The duo couldn't have come to a better place than 'Shark Tank' to find their perfect investor.
Who will steal the deal?
Either Mark Cuban or Alex Rodriguez might end up closing the deal. The brand's sales numbers and profit margins will ultimately be the major deciding factor for the sharks on deciding whether to invest in the business or not. So, we will just have to wait and watch to see if the Sharks even make a deal.
‘Shark Tank’ Season 12 Episode 23 returns to ABC after a week's break on May 7, 2021, at 8 pm ET. Catch the latest episode featuring products like BeerMKR, Creation Nation, and Grind airs on May 7, 2021, from 8 pm ET to 9 pm ET.
Missed an episode? Been wanting to catch up? Episodes can also be viewed the next day on demand and on Hulu. Not just that, you can also watch old seasons and episodes on Amazon Prime Video and iTunes.