In February, The Coca-Cola Co. and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc., now known as Keurig Green Mountain, announced plans to develop a new at-home beverage system called the Keurig Cold that would enable consumers to make their own Coca-Cola branded drinks at home. This announcement triggered conversations about how the new machine could impact the home soda-making market. But while everyone was discussing the news, another product was in the works that would take at-home beverage-making to a whole new level.
Last month, Sparkling Drink Systems International (SDS) announced its partnership with Pat’s Backcountry Beverages Inc. to produce a range of beer concentrates for use with SDS at-home carbonation systems. The new beer collection will consist of a 5.2 percent alcohol by volume (ABV) pale ale, a 6.1 percent ABV dark ale, and a 4.2 percent ABV lager. The companies also plan to release a low-alcohol or alcohol-free lager. The concentrates are expected to be available in the third quarter of 2014 in 50-ml sachets and pods that can make up to 16 ounces of beer when mixed with carbonated water.