It seems the usefulness of ChatGPT knows no bounds as even brewers are using the tool to make new beer. German brand Beck’s is one of a number of companies to have turned to the clever AI chatbot to make a futuristic beverage, called Beck’s Autonomous. ChatGPT not only came up with the lager’s recipe but also its packaging, name, advertising campaign and even a design for the beer’s website. Beck’s is the first commercial brewery to work with ChatGPT, although other independent brew houses in North America have already done the same. MailOnline gave Beck’s Autonomous a try to see how it compares with the brand’s flagship lager. Every detail was made with the online AI tool ChatGPT, from the recipe to packaging, name as well as its advertising campaign.
Beck’s got ChatGPT to come up with the beer in celebration of 150 years since its founding in the German city of Bremen back in 1873, although humans actually did the brewing. Beck’s says: ‘150 years of innovation needed a celebration that matched our pioneering spirit.’ That’s why from recipe to marketing, every decision in the making of this beer was made by AI. Beck’s is keeping the recipe secret, although we do know it has the four essential components that make a beer a beer – water, grain, hops and yeast. Beck’s also revealed to MailOnline that the new beer is a lager, meaning it uses a bottom-fermenting yeast. A limited batch of 150 units has already been delivered to tasters for free, and the firm will study feedback before deciding if it will release it more widely for the public to enjoy.
After weeks of waiting for the limited edition beer, Beck’s Autonomous arrived in a fancy box sealed with special tape and adorned with a futuristic label. Like a scene at the start of a particularly odd Black Mirror episode, the voice said: ‘Beck’s gave complete control of their anniversary beer to AI to celebrate 150 years of pioneering. That’s how I was prompted into existence and now I’m here to give you a taste of the future. I’m Beck’s Autonomous and I say, cheers!’ It turns out that the box is embedded with a sensor that triggers the speech whenever it detects light – so the welcome message goes off every time the box opens as long as it is dark. Once I got over the shock of a talking cardboard box, I pulled out the 250ml metal can containing the precious liquid. The can was covered with a weird bulky layer of black material that feels a bit like hard rubber, like the exoskeleton of a robot, worthy of The Terminator. To be frank, it looked more like a can of Lynx Africa than something you would drink from.
What’s more, the can’s exoskeleton made it rather hard to pour so I spilt some on the table (and I had no such trouble with the glass bottle of Beck’s flagship lager). The two lagers were notably different in appearance – the standard Beck’s was golden while the AI beer was a lighter and paler straw colour. Beck’s Autonomous also poured with a much bigger head, which research suggests is a good thing because it helps deliver flavour. As many regular beer drinkers will agree, the flagship Beck’s lager isn’t the most challenging or delicious of beers on the market. It has a gentle malty sweetness with little-to-no bitterness, making it a quaffable and therefore popular option for British pub-goers.
To my joy, I found Beck’s Autonomous to be an entirely different kettle of fish (or in this case, should I say, wort). It was much hoppier – like a bitter or an English pale ale – and I suspect ChatGPT’s recipe featured more than one variety of hops. There was also a slight sourness – a plus because I love the trendy sour beers that are increasingly taking over the taps at the UK’s hipster beer bars. Beck’s Autonomous was certainly the winner, although admittedly the two beers are of very different styles and will likely target different consumers.
I would like to see the AI beer on the supermarket shelves soon, although I dread to think what the pricetag would be if Beck’s decided to sell it in the electronic gizmo. Beck’s Autonomous isn’t the first ChatGPT beer – that title goes to Atwater Brewery in Detroit, which has been serving its Artificial Intelligence IPA at its pumphouses. Whistle Buoy Brewing Company, in Victoria, British Columbia, also used the tool to come up with a recipe for a ‘hazy pale ale, fluffy and tropical’.
MailOnline tastes wine from bizarre flat containers that promise to slash the carbon footprint – so, do they live up to their glass equivalents? Wine buffs may have been concerned to hear this week that the round glass wine bottle could become a thing of the past. UK retailer The Wine Society claims a new flat plastic bottle makes wine easier to transport – significantly reducing the firm’s carbon footprint. The new packaging is lighter – 63g each compared to an average of 460g for one glass bottle – and can be stacked during transport like a set of books. The Wine Society claims its new ‘flat’ wine bottles are easier to transport – reducing the firm’s carbon footprint but without affecting flavour. They’re made of plastic rather than glass – but does this affect the flavour? MailOnline finds out.
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