We’ve talked a lot in recent months about how A.I. is being used to make the manufacturing world more productive. But what about how it’s being used to improve the quality of our shower beers? Brewing beer is as much a science as it is an art, after all. It’s an intriguing topic that’s been getting a lot of play lately.
There are a lot of ways companies are using AI to brew. Automation can guarantee more consistency at scale. It can also make customization—in terms of alcohol content, flavor, color and aroma—more feasible and faster.
Big commercial breweries like Copenhagen-based Carlsberg already uses AI to optimize recipes for consistency in mass-produced batches. Carlsberg is also spending millions to develop yeast “sensors” that detect beer flavors and aromas—what it calls beer fingerprints. The data is collected by an AI system that will hopefully enable products to get to market faster and improve quality control.
Intellig9entX claims to have created the world’s first beer brewed using AI algorithms and machine learning to refine the recipe. By crowdsourcing data via Facebook Messenger feedback from customers, the company collects hundreds of thousands of data points on their beer varietals, which they then feed to their AI algorithm.
The AI trend has even trickled down to smaller craft breweries, too. Last September, Toronto’s Kensington Brewing Company “put the AI in IPA” with Toronto’s first beer designed using AI, A Little Robotic.
Courtesy of Kensington Brewing Company
Of course, some folks are skeptical. Beer purists and tastemakers might be reluctant to adopt automation because it goes against the whole idea of hand-crafted, artisanal beers. But the benefits are undeniable. And, to be honest, we’re already thinking about our own AI-enabled Hamilton brew.
What do you think of our running list? Have any to add?
- I, Caster
- Barbarian Brew Haul
- T Rex Machina
- The Iron Giant
- Clone of Colossus
- RoboRoller’s Delight
- Wheel-E