Truth be told, homebrewing isn’t exactly the simplest hobby for a beginner or even the easiest for an experienced brewer.
You have to think about your grains, mashing, lautering, boiling, adding hops…and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
First-time brewers may find the entire process overwhelming while am experienced brewer who otherwise enjoys making a new batch of beer may grow weary of the work involved on top of having a busy schedule.
What if there was an easier way?
Enter the BeerDroid by BrewArt – the self-proclaimed ‘World’s first fully-automated personal brewing system’. This automated homebrewing system is as simple as it gets and works for everyone from the timid novice to the brewing enthusiast with a packed schedule.
We Reviewed the BrewArt BeerDroid to see if it lives up to the hype.
How the BrewArt BeerDroid Works
It is hard to use the BeerDroid without the words ‘Keep it stupid simple’ ringing in your ears. This homebrewing system is reminiscent of the first time you ever used a coffee maker, and it even looks a little bit like one.
The first step when using the BeerDroid is to sanitize it. Simply pour water into the system along with the provided sanitizer pack. There is also a spray sanitizer to disinfect the detachable parts of the unit.
The second step is optional but certainly worth the trouble. This is hooking up your BeerDroid to your WiFi network and installing the app. You can monitor and modify every step of the brewing process right from your app.
Once sanitizing is completed, pour in 2.6 gallons of cool water along with the BrewPrint contents and a packet of yeast.
Next, close the lid and set the recipe depending on the kind of beer you are making. The BeerDroid will read “propagating” on the LED display to indicate that the brewing process has started.
There is literally nothing else to do but wait for a couple of days until the brewing system is done fermenting your beer. The final step is carbonating and kegging your beer.
This simple process is great news for newbie brewers who have no idea where to start. If you are more experienced and feel that the process is entirely too simple for your liking, don’t worry. As you will discover later in this review, there are plenty of opportunities to experiment with personalized recipes and settings.
We will anticipate one final concern from experienced homebrewers at this stage in our BeerDroid review. Though this brewing process sounds a lot like extract brewing, the final brew from the BeerDroid is far superior to anything you could whip up with extract brewing.
BrewArt BeerDroid Features
The make or break of a homebrewing system is to be found in its features and the BeerDroid is no different. We picked out the main features that we feel make this brewing system great.
Temperature Control
One of the hardest aspects of brewing is sustaining consistent temperatures throughout the brewing process. Your typical homebrewing kit doesn’t do much for temperature control which could affect the final quality of the beer.
The BeerDroid completely eliminates this headache and keeps the proper temperatures throughout the process; from the brewing temperature, fermentation temperature, and even kegging temperature.
The best part is you don’t even need to worry about knowing the perfect temperature for brewing/fermenting the type of beer you want to brew. Simply choose the preset program for the type of beer you want to make and the equipment will take care of the rest.
BrewArt BrewPrints
Brewing purists may be wondering how good can beer made from packet ingredients be? BrewPrints answer to that – quite good actually.
BrewPrints are pre-measured packaged ingredients made in consultation with ‘the world’s best brewers’. You can now dispense with weighing scales, bags of grain, and manual calculations.
Simply pick your favorite beer, pour in the ingredients and set the unit to brew. BrewArt offers over 50 varieties of BrewPrints for most commercial beer styles including pale ales, lagers, and stouts to start with. There are even options for people on keto diets and low carb diets so there is no limit to the beer styles you can brew right in your own home with minimal effort.
The unit comes with an American Pale Ale BrewPrint so you can get started immediately after unboxing and sanitizing the unit.
Customized Brewing
For most beginners, the set-and-forget design of the BrewArt BeerDroid is like a dream. Brewing purists and experienced homebrewers may wonder whether this system is too automated and is bound to take all of the effort and creativity that such brewers appreciate about the hobby.
Aside from the BrewPrints, you can purchase and use your own ingredients to use with the BeerDroid.
The only thing is you need to scale your recipes for 2.6-gallon batches and you can experiment with your ingredients as much as you like.
You can also set your preferred brewing and yeast propagation temperatures depending on your recipe and technique. You can also use this unit for all-grain, partial-mash, or extract brewing so there are no hard limits to what you can do with the BeerDroid.
Here you get the best of both worlds, full control over your recipes without the back-breaking work typical of brewing kits.
Near-perfect Design and Functionality
There isn’t much to criticize about the BeerDroid especially in terms of design and functionality.
This unit is small and portable and takes up a fraction of the space that you would need for a typical brewing kit setup. You can easily carry the BeerDroid to your kitchen sink to fill it up and move it as needed. It has a sleek and futuristic aesthetic that you would be proud to show off to your friends.
The control panel is easy to use and the LCD screen displays the crucial steps and stats that you would need to know about your brewing process. You can use this unit with the BrewArt app and receive push notifications throughout the brewing stages. You can also control the temperature settings right from the app.
Any Downsides to the BrewArt BeerDroid?
The BeerDroid isn’t quite perfect and there are a few points that could have been better.
The first downside of the BrewArt is it makes 2.6-gallon (10 liters) batches. This capacity may be enough for entry-level brewers but more seasoned users may find it a little limiting.
The BeerDroid is also a little pricy. The price tag is hardly a surprise given the functionality, build-quality, and brew quality that you get from this unit.
Lastly, beer purists may argue that this fully automated homebrewing system is a little too…automated. Mashing, sparging, lautering, and all the processes that go into all-grain brewing may be hard work but they are part of the fun of brewing.
These same purists may be willing to make concessions on the days when they can only spare a few hours to brew.
Final Thoughts on the BrewArt BeerDroid
Most automated homebrewing systems only handle part of the brewing process and leave you to handle other duties such as sparging and fermenting manually.
The BeerDroid goes all the way up to fermenting your beer and there is little that you have to do besides mixing in the ingredients and kegging or bottling the final brew.
This is a great homebrewing system for everyone including novices and seasoned brewers who have grown weary of long brew days. The unit cuts a 10 hour brew day to a mere 2 hours and consistently puts out a high-quality brew.
Finally, you might want to look into the BrewFlo System to go with your BeerDroid. This addition will make storing and dispensing chilled brew a breeze.
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