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Next Big Thing: Artificially Intelligent Beer

It's beer, Jim, but not as we know it

Smart Beer? Brb, just getting my apocalypse hat…

Steady on there, Mr. Tinfoil. It might be A.I beer by name, but you’re not going to be bottled in your sleep by a crate of sentient ale and liquified for your nutrients (as fun as that sounds).

Nope, this is beer perfected by the combined smarts of an algorithm and Facebook Messenger bot. The whole process still starts with an expert human brewer, whose intuition is coded into the algorithm. But once the beer hits drinkers’ tastebuds out in the wild, the tech steps and helps it improve, batch by delicious batch.

Hang on, you’re not a bottle of beer, are you?

Good suddy yeast, no! I assure you that I am most definitely a carbon-based, meat covered life-form. Now away with your paranoid thoughts, let’s get back on track.

The IntelligentX Brewing company (some may refer to them as The Overlords), get feedback from the beer’s drinkers via a Facebook Messenger bot, which grills them with questions about the brew’s hoppiness and maltiness. This then passes through an algorithm, which tweaks the recipe accordingly.

Think of it as a constant strive to reach the nirvana of sweet, golden nectar perfection. Can you imagine a more noble cause in this life?

Actually, I can’t. Beer, good.

Yes, my friend. Beer good. But A.I beer even better.

The ABI (Automated Brewing Intelligence) Facebook Messenger bot is, even as we speak, collating customer feedback, and four beers have so far been brewed to date – Golden AI, Amber AI, Pale AI, and Black AI – all of which are housed in totally-not-sinister black glass bottles.

Sadly, it’ll be a while before you’re sipping back on tankard of delicious A.I grog down at your local watering hole, as production is limited. But you can sign up for updates at IntelligentX.ai or, if you’re really thirsty to try it, visit the UBrew tap room in London’s Bermondsey. Cheers!

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About

Esat has been a gadget fan ever since his tiny four-year-old brain was captivated by a sound-activated dancing sunflower. From there it was a natural progression to a Sega Mega Drive, a brief obsession with hedgehogs, and a love for all things tech. After 7 years as a writer and deputy editor for Stuff, Esat ventured out into the corporate world, spending three years as Editor of Microsoft's European News Centre. Now a freelance writer, his appetite for shiny gadgets has no bounds. Oh, and like all good human beings, he's very fond of cats.