Your Keurig could soon be dispensing both uppers and downers. In the morning, insert a K-cup for your coffee, and at night, pop in a K-cup for your beer. Well, it probably won’t exactly be a K-cup for beer, but thanks to a partnership between Anheuser-Busch InBev and Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., development of an in-home alcohol drink system is well underway.
2017 is looking up already.
Keurig has previously ventured into cold beverage territory (with Keurig Kold), though this will be the first time it does so with alcohol. But with the help of Anheuser-Busch’s brewing and packaging technology, the two companies are hoping that they’ll be able to take on a brand new challenge involving not just beer but spirits, cocktails, and mixers as well.
“We’re thrilled to be moving forward with this joint venture and look forward to working closely with the Keurig Green Mountain team to explore the possibilities of what we can achieve together,” said Nathaniel Davis, CEO of the new venture.
Keurig leadership echoed these sentiments, with CEO Bob Gamgort noting, “We are excited to partner with AB InBev to develop a new system for the adult beverage category. We look forward to combining our capabilities and technologies to deliver innovation for consumers.”
At this point, Keurig will be far from the first company to help customers make their own beers and other libations (or just make them taste better). For example, there’s the Waytap from Fizzics, which promises to help you improve the taste of any old bottled or canned beer in just seconds. And of course, there are various home delivery systems (like Drizzly) that want to make partying at home easier than ever.
All the same, this doesn’t seem like a space where anyone will complain about having too many options, so if you’re looking to make some beer in the comfort of your own home, your Keurig may be the answer. But be prepared to wait a bit longer — thus far, there’s not even a prototype available, so as to what form this at-home drink machine will take, we’ve yet to find out.