SYNEK (draft system): looking to replace growlers?

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@BiereBlanche - You have included a lot of sincere thought into your comments, which we appreciate. All we can say is our vision is to allow beer to be more easily accessible, and we are going to grow it from the ground up. Almost half the breweries in America (1,400) and even more overseas cannot afford to bottle/can. These are our core customers/suppliers. We will eventually get to the Sam Adams and New Belgium's, but it will take time. We need your help to get there. See this video that we will release tomorrow on our Kickstarter launch that features brewers around the world who support us:

@KegKicker @mychalg9 @RockAZ - Thank you for the support and kind words. Let us know how we can make SYNEK the most effective tool for your experience.

 

The performance of growlers disappoints me, but at least it provides more variety for an almost reasonable price than the full size kegs I use. And sure, I buy cans and bottles all the time but many of the smaller breweries I like don't do that.

A keg might last me 3-4 weeks and even with weekly line cleans I get a little tired of my favorite beer by then. I don't get tired of the price per glass though, usually 50 cents to a buck on a 1/2bbl. Growlers work out to about $3+ a glass. One situation that Tucson has that is not common elsewhere, is a very large base of installed growler pouring places, from bars to grocery stores. I could see 128oz pours becoming possible, but then you are back to the problem of growlers having a short lifespan after opening.

This bag technology is interesting, and of course so are the so called mini kegs that have been around for a long time without a lot of success in bringing craft brewers to adopt it. I agree the beer delivery models that are dominant right now are not serving me well and welcome anyone trying to improve it.

 

I could see how the idea of being able to have fresh draft beer in your home from any brewery is a good one, but cost and "barrier to entry" seem like too much to overcome here.

I like bottle/cans or kegs as recycle able and already common place options, growler fills of 32/64oz work for me for 1 or 2 days when I want draft beer at home.

 

Interesting concept. Will be interesting to see how it plays out. I think that 128 oz bags are the wrong place to start though, maybe 32/64 oz to mimic the current grumbler/growler - I know that, for me at least, one of the most convenient things about bottles and grumblers/growlers is that they allow me to pick up various quantities of beers I want to try (one of my favorite parts of craft beer - being able to try every variety in varying quantities). 128 oz is a lot to get of a beer you're gambling your money on. I bought a bottle of Oaked Double Bastard and disliked it (I'm sure there are some fans of it out there, to each his/her own), and that was ok because it was less than $3 a bottle. If I bought a 128 oz. bag of it (instead of a bottle or a 32 oz. grumbler) and hated it, then I'm up shit's creek without a paddle because I have a large quantity of liquid that I'm not going to drink and a medium to carry it where the packaging is recommended for only one use.

Success of this will depend purely on convenience, variety, and availability...

I don't see this ending the need to for glass bottling/canning, though...

 

Go to a bar if you like to drink draft beer.

Accept bottles and cans to drink at home.

Accept growlers as a comprimise if you really need that draft beer taste but can't sit at a bar.

Just how high maintenance and demanding have we become in our beer drinking?

 

@RockAZ @mmmbeerNY @BourbonJersey @bubseymour - The 64 oz growlers' size work because the shelf life lasts for 2 days and people can only drink ~6 beers in that extremely short time.

SYNEK can be filled from the tap and will last 30+ days in every fill (when filled properly). This is possible because our 'bags' are essentially filled air tight (oxygen deprived) so air never touches the beer until it is dispensed.

Also, every one of our bags have one-way valves, which allows for interchangable cartridges. So you can have one glass of beer/wine at a time without starting the shelf life clock (like with growlers).

 

Wow where to start?? So I have to pay $5 each time just for the vessel, well that's not going to happen. I get that the 2nd video answers the Brewer's concerns over packaging but how does it affect the consumers. And who in the hell said that between a husband and wife, friends etc. that a growler is hard to consume quickly??

First of all the breweries are going to pass on the $5 bag cost directly to consumers so let's say Founders were to implement this. A class two growler fill for 64oz is $17, multiply that times two for the quantity and add $5 for the bag now my 12(11) pack is $39 hell no!!! That's $3.54 every time I pour from this thing plus the $300 to get started.

I get that packaging for the brewers is a pain in the ass but how as a consumer does that affect me? And as far as the overseas brewers are concerned get a distribution partner and ship via kegs, bottles, and cans just like everyone else has been doing for more than 100 years.

 

Just a heads up, we listened to all of your feedback and posted a new update on our focus for SYNEK: see the update here

Bottom line: we had thousands of inbound emails from people asking to get access to use SYNEK to gain access to craft beer. We are shifting our focus away from homebrewers and partnering with craft breweries.

See which craft breweries SYNEK is partnering with worldwide: http://kck.st/1o00kuo

 

My first thought after looking at their webpage is why would a company looking to go after the craft beer consumer show their machine set to 36 degrees (I assume thats what the number means) and tout Ice Cold as a selling point?

 

Maybe if there was some way to recycle the cartridges, as in you would deposit 5 bucks and get 4 back when you returned it (brewery/retailer keeps $1 shipping/recycling cost)? This might make it more cost efficient/practical.

The biggest problem with this system though, is that people who want fresh beer buy growlers (which are 100% reusable if you take care of them). People who want to hold on to beer for a while buy bottles. You're giving me a longer shelf life on the beer from tap (in terms of interaction with oxygen and carbonation/nitrogenation), but why would I want this over a bottle (especially if I'm paying a new packaging cost for each beer anyway)?

And that brings up another question: do the cartridges support Nitro beers?

All of the pros of this machine have been explained, but I'm still not sure why I'd want this machine/these cartridges over a bottle. For trading purposes? A puncture to the bag would cost the trader a gallon of beer as opposed to 12 oz/22oz. Bottles tend to be a bit sturdier, IMO, and if packaged properly with bubble wrap make it to the destination in perfect condition over 95% of the time.

During the summer, I drink a lot of beer outside/on camping trips. What powers the machine? Would I lose access to my gallon of beer if I don't have access to a power outlet (or if power goes out)? Growlers and bottles are just straightforward and convenient. Here's a growler of some fresh beer. You should consume it as soon as possible, because it is fresh. If you want to hold onto a beer for a while, here's a bottle of the beer that is slightly less fresh (or significantly less fresh in some circumstances).

Not trying to drag down your product, but I just feel that if you want BAs to rally to the cause, you need to understand all of our concerns (including price/logistics/practicality).

 

I believe that is a very smart idea. Getting really good draft beer without taking up a bunch of real estate in the home is a huge selling point. I'm glad that the craft brewers are on board with this idea. They obviously understand their customers who enjoy the "tick". One gallon of draft is easier to sell than a sixth keg.

I see The Bruery is supporting you. Any idea if they are going to offer Black Tuesday out in this format??!! (A person can dream, can't they?)

From the perspective of the consumer (me!) you will have to make sure to keep the price point reasonable. Growlers really aren't any better deal than sitting on a bar stool. It kind of ruins my reason to drink a growler at home. Bombers and bottles are fairly pricy also. Keep the cost per glass reasonable and you guys stand a chance to make something worthwhile to the average beer drinker.

Any idea how much it costs to run that little beer fridge? How easy is it to clean the dispensing system?

 

I'm just curious who you have manufacturing these bags for you. Are the bags laminated with a commercial adhesive(s)?
Working in the flexible packaging industry for 20+ years this just sounds like it could be a very costly proposition for you and the consumer, not to mention if you have any sealing issues.

 

I'm reminded less of kegerators and more of boxed-wine, which isn't exactly rich-man territory. Even the nicer ones like Bota Box are $20 for 100 oz.

Is the carbonation what keeps beer out of the boxed-wine format? So you buy this widget to deal with that, then go to the store and pick up a box of SNPA?

 

Then the sad part is that all the ideas these rich business have thrown against the wall, the ones that have stuck are a machine that stores cans underground and a $400 growler dispenser.

 

Am I missing something here?

http://mashable.com/2014/07/01/keurig-for-beer-synek/

I honestly don't fully understand the purpose of them.

Is it just meant to be a way to store beers that are filled with Growlers? Does anyone think these things are worth it?

 

The idea is to have a vacuum sealed bag as opposed to a growler, so your beer stays fresh and can be dispensed over a longer course of time. I'd wait and see some consumer reviews and that it's a practical purchase and how it really works before jumping on it, or at least that's what I'll do.

 

http://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-draft-system-looking-to-replace-growlers.182610/

I like the idea but 300$ plus 5$ every 128ozs will add up

 

Since I have posted a few times here on this thread and have no connection to the Synek people, I would like to add these additional comments, basically repeating what I said before but more to the point.

I homebrew.
My friends homebrew.
I buy at least 10 commercial kegs per year, (I throw a lot a of parties on my bocce court).
My home has a full size beer fridge that can hold up to 6 "Corney" kegs and tap three at a time.
I often want beer served geographically somewhere else (with electricity) besides where my beer fridge is located. A different part of my yard or somewhere else entirely.
Growlers suck, but I have at least a dozen of those kicking around because of limited options otherwise.

End of my story, this product fits my needs - I will fill it myself and have no need to depend upon other breweries or bars or grocery stores adopting the standard.

 

Sorry I am old school,,,,I do not want a social media beer dispenser , I see the concept good for brewers, but for me the drinker , waste of my beer money. Foremost I fucking hate plastic! I guess if you can guarantee that it does not taste like plastic or funky so be it. I remember seeing something like this before already I believe. And what if I want more than one flavor of beer? You would have to have 2 Dispensers and so on? How do the The people who produce growlers and kegs feel about your stealing a piece of the action? Is it made in the USA? any exchange type system for used bags?

 

My problem with all this is that, in my state (California), only breweries can fill growlers, and then only with their own beer. Period. No gas stations, no bars, no grocery stores. The list of breweries on the Synek Kickstarter pages has zero breweries within driving distance to me.

No, thanks.