Kegbot can see how well you hold your beer
By Ryan Block 
posted November 28th 2005 9:00AM
posted November 28th 2005 9:00AM
You no longer need ask, "Who's drinking all the beer?" dear friends, the Kegbot Kegerator cometh. No, it won't serve
you, but it will make you do a quick login before pulling a frosty one — and you'd better believe it's measuring what
you're drinking by fluid ounce. It'll also compute your estimated current blood-alcohol level, total drinks and cost
pulled, calories consumed, and many other totally useful metrics. We know this is theoretically to avoid that whole
tragedy of the commons thing, but somehow we can imagine this turning competitive very quickly — at least around
Engadget HQ, anyhow. Kind of makes us want a cold one right now… what do you mean too early to be
drinking?
[Via PopSci and
The Inq]
I saw this on a tech tv show a while back and thought it was cool, but too much maintenance.
Too early to drink? Just remember, you can't drink all day if you don't start early in the morning.
Jack Butler: You wanna beer?
Ron Richardson: It's 7 o'clock in the morning.
Jack Butler: Scotch?
Too early to be drinking?
Just remember my mantra:
It's gotta be noon somewhere.
Line that up next to the beer pong table for more accurate statistical record keeping. How many time who lost to who, time between games, etc.
Gonna have to move the quarter bounce table though...
im in college. nuff said. there is no "too early" because the days and night have become indistinguisable.
/me sips cold one
Chug! Chug! Chug!
Competitive drinking has never been so fun.
I want one.
Novel idea, but here in Wisconsin we don't need no computer program to support our reputation.
Lewis Black said it best. "You guys aren't alchoholics. You're professionals."
This thing would just state the already obvious ;)
Besides, who's going to put a computer next to a keg at a party with a drinking competition in mind?
Also, anybody that's had an instant messenger conversation while drunk knows, computers (especially the keyboard) + heavy drinking, doesn't exactly equal functionality.
I do think this could be very useful in a bar though. This could be a great way for bartenders to keep track of their customers and know when enough is enough.
I built a similar machine about 4 years ago that is integrated with a vending machine: http://vendingmenace.blurbco.com/
It switches flow on and off appropriately; however, I gave up on measuring flow after spending a couple hundred bucks on flowmeters that all caused me foamy beer as it was impossible to get the lines balanced. The kegbot guys seem to have succeeded where I fell short and they actually sell their meter! Hooray!
Of note there is a flowmeter especially made for beer that provides a completely open flow path, but it sadly costs over $300 :(
Can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning...
Are you crazy? There was a similar device built by the defcon elite a couple of years ago that not only dispensed the beer, but required you to login your credentials before it gives you a pint. The information is then logged and can be referred via a website.
That makes this wols.
#10: gee, could it be the same device as was at this years defcon? hardly years ago.
http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2005/07/_defcon_the_keg.html
Or just come to the Czech Republic where we have at least one pub running machines like these with contests every night challenging table against table. The bar only serves unfiltered, unpasteurized Pilsner Urquell (fresh from the brewery a few blocks away in Plzen) and has only opened recently. You pull your own beers at your table, and the computer tracks your usage and pits you against other tables. It's quite fun and gets you quite drunk on this finest beer in the world. Check out http://www.thepub.cz for more info. Click on Fotogalerie for general pics and a picture of the holding tanks is best when you click on O Nas.