The basics:

• Asbury Park Brewery introduced a hazy-style IPA developed with the assistance of AI.
• The staff experimented with AI chatbot Microsoft Copilot to draft the initial recipe, which was then tweaked by the brewers.
• Within the food and beverage industry, the technology continues to reshape experiences and operations, including at Anheuser-Busch and Domino’s Pizza.

Like many other sectors, artificial intelligence is shaking up the food and beverage industry.

As some restaurants are turning to the technology for customer orders, taking inventory or staff scheduling, other establishments are using it for menu innovations.

For brewers, coming up with a winning beer recipe is not an easy task, but AI may increasingly become a tool they can look to for help. According to a new study from a team of Belgian researchers, machine learning models can accurately identify not only how consumers will rate a beer, but also what compounds should be added to make it taste better.

Over the past year-and-a-half, several breweries have created a buzz by launching AI-generated beer, including Second Sin Brewing Co. in Bucks County, Pa.

In New Jersey, Asbury Park Brewery recently joined the ranks of breweries that are tapping the technology. Last month, the brewery unveiled a new beer that was developed using AI, a hazy-style IPA containing 6% ABV with notes of citrus, mango and pine.

According to Bob McLynn, co-founder of Asbury Park Brewery, former head brewer Chris Vaughn decided to experiment with an AI chatbot from Microsoft Copilot on his new computer and tasked it with writing a recipe.

After a few minor tweaks to smooth out the edges, it was finalized “within minutes” and deemed fit to join the brewery’s lineup of human-made creations, said McLynn, noting that they were “happy with the first version that was brewed.”

“The idea to use AI wasn’t planned, but we always planned on making a hazy IPA,” said McLynn, adding that the venture was simply about experimenting, rather than saving time or money.

Since its June 6 debut, the brew – dubbed AI-IPA – has received positive reactions. In fact, McLynn said it’s now one of their best-selling beers, with patrons praising the offering’s aroma and mouthfeel. It is currently available at the tasting room, but the team plans on canning AI-IPA and doing takeout can sales later this year.

“A lot of people are interested because they have never heard of a beer being created this way and beer drinkers love to experiment and try new things,” McLynn said. “We plan on keeping it around, so there aren’t plans to remove it from the menu as of now. We can’t wait for people to continue trying it.”

While the recipe written by AI wasn’t bad, it still needed a brewmaster’s touch, according to McLynn. “For the AI-IPA recipe, we took what the computer gave us but changed the grains and lowered the ABV so it wasn’t solely AI, but a collaborative process,” he said.

Overall, it took about 30 minutes to develop AI-IPA, from prompting Microsoft Copilot to tinkering with the recipe to make it work. A few weeks later it was brewed for the early June unveiling.

For the AI-IPA recipe, we took what the computer gave us but changed the grains and lowered the ABV so it wasn’t solely AI, but a collaborative process.
– Bob McLynn, co-founder of Asbury Park Brewery

“There is definitely a thought process that goes into making each recipe and using AI probably cut that time into half,” McLynn said. “You can write a recipe in 15 to 20 minutes, but sometimes you will brew a small batch and make changes to it. Sometimes, it can take up to a couple of months to perfect the recipe before it becomes available.”

Beer of the future?

Last year, Anheuser-Busch, the beverage giant behind Corona, Stella Artois and Budweiser, made headlines for making what it claimed was one of the “first completely machine-created beers in the world.” Named Beck’s Autonomous, the product was created after AB InBev asked ChatGPT and San Francisco AI lab Midjourney to design a beer, branding and marketing to celebrate Beck’s 150th anniversary.

Along with producing the recipe for a 5% ABV Pilsner-style brew, the technology came up with its name, a custom logo and container concept. It also generated press assets and a marketing plan as part of an advertising campaign for the limited-edition beer.

AI and NJ’s food industry:

• ‘Factory of the future’: Candy maker Mars embraces AI
• Campbell Soup uses AI to go from Mmm, Mmm Good to even better

The 450 beers that were made available in the U.K., Germany and Italy sold out in 27 minutes. According to Beck’s marketing director, Laura Salway, Beck’s Autonomous was “just a first move.”

“We’re embracing this new technology and harnessing the potential of AI to drive forward innovation and creativity within the beer world,” Salway told media outlets, adding, “We’re looking to the future and planning new ways to engage and excite our customers and create revolutionary beer.”

AB InBev isn’t the only company that has introduced AI initiatives to expedite product development or plan for the future. Heineken and Diageo are among leading adopters of AI to enhance customer experience and improve value chain efficiency.

Within the restaurant industry, AI continues to reshape experiences and operations, from personalizing customer interactions to automating processes.

At Domino’s Pizza, the chain teamed up with tech giant Microsoft to develop Dom, an AI-powered assistant that helps streamline the online ordering process to provide enhanced customer satisfaction. Meanwhile, Starbucks is analyzing customer data to offer personalized recommendations and promotions based on a customer’s previous purchases and preferences.

Marketing is another area where AI is proving to be beneficial for the industry since the technology can analyze customer data to develop targeted marketing campaigns. For example, popular casual dining brands Chili’s and TGI Friday’s have launched AI-driven platforms to drive increased customer engagement and sales.

By humans, for humans

At Asbury Park Brewery, McLynn said it doesn’t currently use AI in any other ways, like marketing or business operations. And, as of now, there are no plans to utilize AI to develop another beer and the brewery will “continue to create more beer made by humans,” he said.

However, McLynn said, “We will see what the future holds.”

“This was a fun experiment for us and showed us how much AI can shorten the process for a new recipe. It was easier since we knew that we were going to create a hazy IPA,” McLynn said. “It’s more of a one-off creation, but we don’t see any downsides.”

The addition of AI-IPA to Asbury Park Brewery’s menu came a few weeks after the business reopened in a new space downtown.

Located at 614 Cookman Ave., the 3,180-square-foot brewery and taproom is open daily, offering 12 beers on tap, growler and crowler fills, can sales and merchandise.

Founded by local musicians and beer enthusiasts, Asbury Park Brewery made its debut in 2016 at 810 Sewell Ave. Shortly after the onset of the pandemic in 2020, it closed to the public.

During the May 24 grand reopening, McLynn said, “It’s been a grind the last few years trying to get this new space open. We can’t wait to welcome back our old friends who used to come to punk shows at the old space along with everyone hitting us up on social media waiting for this place to open.”

At the new location, the beer selection includes year-round, seasonal and new releases. Customers can also bring in food from outside restaurants to pair with their drinks, according to the brewery.

In addition to hosting live music performances in the tasting room, the venue is available for private event bookings, the brewery said.

Also in this issue:

Experts on an NJBIZ panel take a deep dive into all things AI, a topic at the top of mind for many individuals and businesses as the rapidly evolving technology raises questions and concerns about how to best use the technology safely. Click here to read what they had to say.