CUB trials flavoured "beer pods" in pubs

CUB is trialling an Australian first - on-premise flavoured beer pods - with around 30 pubs and bars across Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

Bond Brothers, a ‘pod’ style system for beer, introduces five new natural and subtly sweet flavours, including pink grapefruit, honey, lime, raspberry and apple. The flavours are infused into lager via a pod system, then poured from a single tap for a refreshing twist on beer. 

According to CUB, latest trends show that while many people still enjoy a simple pot in the front bar, more and more are looking for increased variety in beer styles and flavours. 

"In addition, people are socialising differently today," says CUB marketing director Richard Oppy. "With so many options for entertainment, pubs need to provide new and different experiences for consumers in order to compete."

"Bond Brothers provides excitement and theatre for drinkers, while delivering a brew which is essentially made for people looking for something different or trying beer for the first time."  

In an interview with 9 News, Oppy likens Bond Brothers to the Nespresso coffee system, although CUB’s beer pods can be recycled. And he says that while it’s early days, "Bond Brothers is sparking interest from drinkers."

CUB isn't alone in its quest to bring boozy versions of Nespresso coffee machines to consumers.

Last week, a French company called 10-Vins launched D-Vine, a gadget that prepares the perfect glass of wine; Pernod Ricard has announced the launch date for its internet-connected home spirits dispenser, Opn; while AB-InBev has teamed up with a coffee machine maker to develop an "in-home alcohol drink system.”

D-Vine takes a vial of wine, detects the style, adjusts the temperatures, aerates it and pours it through the machine exactly as the vineyard recommends. The process takes around one minute to deliver the perfect glass.

Opn - to be released in early-2018 - comprises cartridges filled spirits from the Pernod portfolio (pictured above). The cartridges are housed in a docking station that can dispense measures and monitor when the contents are running low, allowing refills to be ordered automatically online. The station also connects to Opn's central operating system to tell users what cocktails can be made - from a database of 300 - from what spirits are available.

Meanwhile, AB-InBev and Keurig Green Mountain have teamed up to create an at-home alcohol maker. It's believed the machine will be designed to serve beer, spirits, cocktails and mixers.

Details are sketchy, but the two companies announced in a press release that the new venture would “build on the Keurig KOLD technology and system innovations and AB InBev’s brewing and packaging technology, and evolve them within the realm of the full adult beverage category.”