Avoid an empty keg with a brilliant beer tap that knows what’s left, and more

By Jenny McGrath Published February 13, 2015

Much to the chagrin of Budweiser, craft brewing has grown ever more popular over the past few years. Fans like the variety and ingenuity many small companies are bringing to the game. Fanatics obsess over fermentation and cask conditioning. If you’re constantly concerned about the state of your home brew or the keg of pricey yet delectable IPA you brought home, a new device could be just the thing for you.

PicoBrew, the startup behind the Zymatic — a machine that lets you brew beer with a click of a mouse — is bringing its love of all things barley and hops to Kickstarter once again, this time for a smart craft beer kegerator, KegSmarts. If you already have a beer fridge, you can attach it and learn more about what you’ve got on tap. It’s also compatible with the Zymatic.

Outfitted with an OLED display and controlled by a microprocessor, the device can find the latest kegerator-ready craft beers, maintain the perfect temperature for your brew, let you see the number of servings remaining, and give you information on the beer, including how fresh it is and details on its style and alcohol content. And make sure you tidy up the bathroom; it’ll alert your friends that you’ve installed a new keg. (If you want.)

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PicoBrew has already raised over half of its $100,000 funding goal. Those with 2.5-foot or 3-foot draft towers can get the KegSmarts for $249. A pledge of $899 gets you single tap kegerator with the smart device, minus the keg plate to measure the beer levels. That complete package costs $978. Right now, PicoBrew is only shipping to the U.S. and Canada, and the cost isn’t included in the pledge. It’s hoping to start sending out units in April and May.

There’s a beer fridge in the Digital Trends office, and while we usually take care of kegs well before their expiration dates, it would be nice to have a countdown on how much is left. People get a little forlorn when they discover an empty keg.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Jenny McGrath is a senior writer at Digital Trends covering the intersection of tech and the arts and the environment. Before…

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