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- AB InBev wouldn't comment on whether that may involve some sort of dehydrated “Bud-Cup” modeled after Keurig’s famous K-Cups full of coffee grounds or what that may mean for landfills across America.
- the at-home drinking trend that’s accelerating the decline of on-premises imbibing and so worrying bar and restaurant owners is going to get bigger, in a big way.
UPDATE: This story has been corrected to remove incorrect information about a private investment in Drizly.
If you haven’t yet enjoyed the pleasures of drinking freshly tapped, delivered or insta-brewed beer in the comforts of your home without actually leaving your house, you probably will soon. Friday, Anheuser-Busch InBev announced a partnership with coffeemaker Keurig Green Mountain to develop a system for serving beer, spirits, cocktails and mixers at home that skips that pesky trip to the liquor store. The partnership demonstrates the world’s largest beermaker’s interest in joining the hot new tech trend that has companies like Drizly, Fizzics, Hopsy, ManCan and AB InBev-owned Stella Artois innovating new ways to bring the party home from the bar.
“The venture, which will bring together the expertise of both companies, will 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,” reads a statement from the Belgium-based brewer. AB InBev wouldn't comment on whether that may involve some sort of dehydrated “Bud-Cup” modeled after Keurig’s famous K-Cups full of coffee grounds or what that may mean for landfills across America. It also raises the question of what it means that AB InBev is entering the liquor space and how it can legally do that, especially given the Justice Department’s recent warnings over its expansion methods.
What is clear is that the at-home drinking trend that’s accelerating the decline of on-premises imbibing and so worrying bar and restaurant owners is going to get bigger, in a big way. As an example of how powerful these companies are becoming, app-based ordering and home delivery service Drizly, founded in 2012, sold a minority share to an affiliate of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America in 2015. Drizly CEO and co-founder Nick Rellas, whom Forbes named to its 30 Under 30 list in 2015, has predicted U.S. online alcohol sales will reach between $7-$15 billion over the next few years.
A few months ago he told Forbes, “We’re seeing a proliferation of all these different new formats… How deep does that rabbit hole go?”
The Fizzics beer dispenser uses soundwave technology to create a full, dense head on packaged beer. Credit: Fizzics
Considering that Anheuser-Busch revolutionized vertical integration and distribution when it helped develop refrigerated ra
il cars in the late 19th century, it’s safe to assume that its entry into the home beer-delivery sector will dig that hole deeper than ever thought possible.
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