Well, we’ve already witnessed what beer loving roboticists like to do in their free time, but what happens when the beer loving Yelp engineers get extra time on their hands? They engage in “hackathons” and invent the Kegmate, an iPad-powered “Kegbot”.

And for those of you who are geeky enough … errr brilliantly intelligent enough to understand the cryptic language known as “computer engineering”, the kids over at Yelp have been kind enough to detail the entire project on their blog for anyone brave enough to recreate it on their own. Here is an excerpt from the blog:

Theory of Operation (An Overview): Sensors attached to the keg feed data into an Arduino microcontroller, which in turn communicates directly with the iPad via a serial connection. The iPad processes that data and displays it in a snazzy manner along with a description of the current brew. An RFID reader attached to the system allows users to ‘swipe in’ to KegMate and keep track of how much beer they’ve had, as well as assign a star rating for the beer currently in the keg (this is Yelp, after all). Continue Reading »

Just when you thought Sanrio had exhausted the world market by putting its Hello Kitty label on anything and everything possible, the Japanese cartoon character has finagled its way into the realm of fine beverage. And in true Hello Kitty fashion, the company has put its face on a simple and basic commodity (water), and turned it into a cash cow. Continue Reading »

Klaatu… Varata… Nicaragua?

Any self-respecting Army of Darkness fan knows “the words” and how Ash flubs the line when grabbing the Necronomicon, but no one I know has ever combined the movie with fine beverage…until now. Continue Reading »

You may be familiar with the popular phrase In Vino Veritas (in wine there is truth). Well, now you can add En La Libertad De Tequila (in tequila there is liberty) to your list of fine beverage philosophies.

In its newest campaign, “Tequila Is Liberty”, 901 Silver Tequila is on a mission to inspire and compel its consumers to “elevate themselves above their everyday norm” and urges people to “feel at liberty to pursue”. Continue Reading »

Last week, Red Stripe Beer announced the world premiere of the Red Stripe Ambassador’s “Ambassador Say Relax” video, a reggae remake of the popular ’80s song “Relax” (originally recorded by Frankie Goes to Hollywood).

“Red Stripe embodies the spirit of Jamaica and relaxation.” — Erin Chin, Red Stripe Brand Manager, Diageo. “It was only fitting for us to pay homage to this celebrated Eighties hit in a fun way that is true to our brand and its fans.” Continue Reading »

Welcome to the first of what I hope will be an informative weekly post about some of the more noteworthy just announced, upcoming beer releases. I am proud to join the extremely passionate team of fine beverage champions here at Mutineer – vive la quality drink, revolution!

Abita Beer – “Save Our Shore”

We have all been shocked and saddened by the truly catastrophic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, in the shadow of this ongoing disaster is Abita Beer of Abita Springs, Louisiana who on Friday, July 16 released the first bottles of Abita SOS, a charitable Pilsner. Initially for sale in New Orleans, cases will then make their way across the county. Seventy-five cents from the sale of every bottle is going to a fund established by Abita to assist with the environmental impact and to help individuals fighting to survive in the wake of the widespread economic devastation. Continue Reading »

You may or may not be old enough to remember the classic Pepsi commercial from 1995 that features a Pepsi driver dropping into a diner for a bite and meeting a Coke delivery driver at the lunch counter. They hit it off just great until the Pepsi driver offers the Coke man a can of his cola. Well, lets just say the Pepsi driver had to get his soda back forcefully. Continue Reading »

Just when I thought that being a Mutineer was the coolest job in the world, I discovered Willow Garage, a team of robot design experts. They actually get paid to develop hardware and open source software for personal robotics applications. Which begs the question: whose job is cooler? I sense an epic battle of wits and strength coming on… or maybe just a duel. The Mutineers vs. The Roboticists — Coming to a theatre near you.

But, I digress. Continue Reading »