UPDATE: Early Beta Version available to backers, click here
We are Brewed in Chicago (brewedinchicago.com), and Craft Your Beer is an online game concept that will crowdsource great beer ideas. The game will be:
- Fun and easy for just about anyone to use, regardless of their beer knowledge
- A way to express your creative idea for the next great beer style
- Informative and educational, with deep respect for the craft of brewing
- Capable of also satisfying the experienced home-brewers as well
How will your game work?
A web page on our site will take players through a 4 step process:
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Choose from many different styles of beer to brew
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Select from common ingredients, optionally add unique flavors
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Create a unique name for your beer, and choose the label design
- Promote your beer so it becomes one of the most popular
Why should I help fund this?
We want to make it a great game, and it's going to need some money to build. It will be produced no matter what we raise, but $15,000 is our ideal goal.
Great Perks for contributing
T-Shirt and Stickers:
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The T-Shirt comes with a $30 donation. You also become a Beta Tester, which means early access to the game in development, with exclusive features.
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You get 5 stickers for the $15 donation. You also become a Beta Tester, which means early access to the game in development, with exclusive features. Of course we'll throw some stickers in with the T-Shirt orders too.
The Uber Tap:
This tapper has three hoses and a foot pump! Do I need to say more? I think you get how awesome that sounds. But in case you aren't sure why this is cool, they say it drains a keg up to 5 times faster. Get one of these shipped to your U.S. address for a $99 contribution. (keg not included)
So how will this game work?
Beer is generally made from four ingredients: water, grain, yeast, and hops.
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Recently the craft beer marketplace has seen a wild array of additional flavors. We will provide a list of ingredients that covers a broad spectrum of choices known to be compatible with beer.
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For the very brave (and possibly fool-hearty) we will allow players to add unique ingredients of their own. I just hope the person who makes broccoli beer doesn't have 20,000 Twitter followers. But that's why we will produce small batches of the most popular beers for real-world feedback.
Hey, if broccoli beer actually tastes great, go for it.
Which beers will get brewed for real?
We plan to choose the most popular beer ideas, four times a year. On a seasonal basis, we will look at the highest rated beer ideas submitted through the game. Ratings are based on votes or "likes" received through our web site at
brewedinchicago.com.
The brewery will produce a handful of those really popular beer ideas. At the brewery's tap room, the public can give feedback that will be factored in to the final winner of the season.
We also plan to hold one or more exclusive judging events where the finalists will be evaluated. The feedback from those events will get combined with the public response at the brewery. The seasonal winner would be produced as a limited release for distribution to the public.
How do I get one of the real beers from the game?
There will be two ways to get real beer from this game. One way is to visit the tap room, or a tasting/judging event where we will measure feedback. The other way is to buy the winning beer when the brewery produces one for distribution. By funding the campaign, you will always be notified of these opportunities.
Who is going to brew the beer?
We have some great friends at Empirical Brewery who share our excitement about this vision for crowd-sourcing beer ideas. A fellow startup company, they have a custom-built, 30 barrel brewing system.
Empirical is
currently crowd-funding the build-out of their tap room, so the local community can help create a space to enjoy their beer.
Their approach uses customer feedback to shape product development. By quite literally using the empirical method, they want to brew the beer that people are asking for.
Who is Brewed in Chicago?
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We are a startup company, working from the 1871 tech incubator space in the Chicago Merchandise Mart. Craft Your Beer will live on brewedinchicago.com
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(I'm the guy holding a beer, naturally)
Our web site at brewedinchicago.com was created to help people discover our city's many craft beer options. Currently you will find on our site:
- 71 breweries represented
- Over 500 beers they produce
- Bars & restaurants that focus on craft beer
- Local craft beer events and festivals
Is this just a Chicago thing?
Definitely NOT. Just because the beer will be brewed in Chicago does not mean the game is only for Chicagoans. We are just brewing the beer in Chicago.
But if you live here, you do get a special bonus. Certain donation levels provide you with access to the brewery, events, and judging opportunities. Those perks require you to be local, or come visit us in Chicago.
Who benefits from this game?
Players hopefully enjoy producing beer and competing against each other. Breweries can avoid the uncertainty of experimental beer by following whats popular in the game. Consumers benefit from new beer ideas that make it into the marketplace. And of course, our company gets traffic to our craft beer web site.
Everyone wins.
How often will you pick a winner?
We want to brew four times a year, and ideally produce a seasonal beer each time. Our first batch will be a Winter or holiday beer, presumably. But, more importantly, we will brew the best tasting beer.
Why would anyone make virtual beer?
As a home-brewer, the idea of creating unique beer styles has been rewarding. But it also means cleaning the equipment (yuck). I promise you will never have to clean your computer after making virtual beer. What an incentive!
Why are you crowd-funding?
In order to make a great game, we will need to pay some talented people to build the web page and help us get the game dynamics just right. But more importantly, we want you to help us make important decisions. That's right, we don't just want your money, we want Beta-Testers. Anyone who contributes to this campaign gets early exclusive access to the game while it's being built. You tell us about bugs you find, and ideas you have to make things better.
How is the money being used?
Game development is the main cost. But it turns out there are a lot of legal issues with beer. Who would have guessed? So some of the cost goes to the legal eagles. We don't want to break any laws now, do we?
When will the game be ready?
We have already begun game development. Updates will be posted during this crowd-funding campaign. Estimated launch is about a month after the funding campaign is finished. Your donation grants you exclusive access during development, and we will create some features that only Indiegogo funders will have.
Other Ways You Can Help
Some people just can't contribute, but that doesn't mean they can't help:
- Even if you can't make a monetary contribution, you can help us greatly by sharing this with your friends who love craft beer. There are tools for sharing right here on this page.
- Please register at brewedinchicago.com and play the game when it comes out. Or you can simply vote on the beers as they get published to the site. You have a voice in the next great craft beer that's brewed in Chicago!
What the press is saying:
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Chicago Sun Times -
How to make your own beer [without homebrewing]
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DNA Info Chicago -
With 'Craft Your Beer,' Create a Beer in the Time it Takes To Drink One
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Time Magazine - Food and Wine Blog -
Design Your Dream Beer with this Video Game
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Brewers Association (CraftBeer.com) -
Chicago Startup Crowd-Sources Beer Ideas
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Chicago Inno -
Create a Beer Online and it Could Get Made for Real With Brewed in Chicago's Competition
All perks that require shipping will be sent shortly after the campaign ends, so we can get a final number. Some perks are dependent upon the brewery and their production schedule. The Empirical Brewery plans to open their tap room early next year.
