A Beer Keurig Machine? SYNEK Draft System is on its Way

The popularity of craft beer continues to be a trend. And the growth of the craft beer industry presents another opportunity for small businesses. The goal is to deliver a high quality, fresh product that customers will love.

However getting that high quality beer to the customer’s home can be a challenge for a small brewer. After talking with many small breweries, Steve Young discovered the problem was in the packaging.

Young was a stock market analyst by trade. But recently he had taken an interest in the craft beer industry. In search of more information on factors that could impact the craft beer market, he visited breweries across the US. Time and time again he found a common problem faced by these breweries. The problem was how to get beer to their customers and maintain it’s quality and freshness.

Many of these small breweries used growlers to transport their signature craft beers. These heavy glass bottles can be conveniently filled, but once opened the beer only lasts about two days. Young saw an opportunity to create a packaging system to solve this problem.

It didn’t take long for him to quit his job and begin to assemble a team. What came out of this was SYNEK, a draft system that boasts being able to serve any beer straight from the tap at home. At the heart of the system is a portable cartridge good for one use only that can be filled from any holding tank, keg, or tap. The system is being compared to a Keurig coffee machine in how it functions.

This video gives a quick overview of how it all works:

There is a hitch in SYNEK’s system, however. The packaging might have the potential to be a game changer in the craft beer industry. The cartridges are easy to fill. And once opened, SYNEK claims the beer can last up to an impressive 30 days. The catch is that without the expensive SYNEK machine you can’t access the beer in the cartridge. That’s a frustrating fact if all you want to do is enjoy your favorite draft beer.

But this downside hasn’t seemed to scare away pledgers. SYNEK launched a successful Kickstarter campaign last year, raising over $600,000. The SYNEK system is now available for preorder and is scheduled to ship in early 2015. For now, the preorder price is $299, though there is no information on how much individual cartridges will cost.

Image via Kickstarter

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