Weird Commerce: Brooklyn’s Beer ATM

Instant gratification. Instant demands. Instant information at the tip of the finger.

New payments and vending technology is developed every day with the ultimate goal of making some part of either consumers’ or businesses’ everyday processes better.

From cell phones to televisions, cars, and beyond, nearly every aspect of today’s society is connected or made easier in some fashion or another. Outside of the technology realm, there are other ways entrepreneurs have found to meet the desires of consumers.

One business that’s looking to serve people in a unique way is Brooklyn-based Randolph Beer. Through its ATM-esque service style, customers can walk up to its wall of beer taps and either select their favorite or try out something new without having to wait in line. With 24 beers lined up on one wall, much like a frozen yogurt place, customers hand their credit cards over in exchange for a special Randolph Beer-branded card that works as a running tab for each beer selection.

And of course, almost all of the beer is locally brewed in the New York area.

While this may seem like a dangerous business to be in a seemingly all you can drink buffet, it’s likely customers will only drink as much as can be afforded. With the availability of ride-sharing services all over NYC, there are many options to get home safely.

Among the many weird products and services in commerce today, the new entries into the arena have proven to be one-of-a-kind.

Anti-social media platform Binky gives its users the opportunity to interact with standard newsfeeds in a way that combines likes from Facebook and swiping left or right on images. The catch for this social network and what sets it apart from others is the fact that everything done inside of it remains inside of that bubble. No actions taken inside of the platform can be viewed from outsiders.

High-end speaker brand Bang & Olufsen has partnered its B&O Play brand with Danish microbrewery Mikkeller to brew a beer. Dubbed Beobrew IPA, what makes this beer unique is that a Beoplay A1 Speaker is used during the brewing process. Through immersing this bluetooth speaker into the fermenting tank and turning the volume to its full reach, the vibrations produce a heightened beer flavor.

Mikkeller’s head brewer, Kyle Wolak, commented on how Bang & Olufsen’s Beoplay A1 Speaker works to enhance the beer. He said, “By playing music in the fermenting tank, we are adding a fifth ingredient that takes the beer to a new level. As the music plays, it pumps out a unique pattern of vibrations that assists the yeast during fermentation and encourages the yeast to produce more flavorful esters than it would have without the presence of music.”

One of the more fun products that was actually unveiled earlier this year at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) was Lego’s Boost offering. Through this, people can connect lego bricks to bluetooth-enabled programmable motors and sensors. Once activated, anyone can turn their lego creations into full-functioning robots.