The Prazdroj brewers were given a helper — a recipe, but also a campaign for the September special of the Choice of Brewers program, designed in conjunction with artificial intelligence. This helped them combine two distinct beer styles: traditional Czech lager and modern New England IPA. The beer, which is on offer at the tap during September in selected pubs, is called Cybeer.

Only a few breweries in the world have managed to brew beer with the help of artificial intelligence. At the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Tool Source, specifically ChatGPT, they used the difficult task: designing a recipe for a new beer that combines the best of traditional Czech lager and modern New England IPA (NEIPA) beer style. The suggested recipe was then fine-tuned by the brewers with regard to technological equipment and the raw materials used. The result of the special brewing process is a beer with good drinkability and a body typical of Czech lagers and a pronounced opacity and juiceiness with grapefruit tones characteristic of the NEIPA style.

“We made five trial batches before we could get the beer we were happy with. In each new batch, we refined the entry for AI and modified the recipe. We tackled fermentation, optimization of typical turbidity, type of yeast and used hops. Artificial intelligence may suggest an attractive recipe, but then there are complex phases of brewing the beer itself. You need to check the raw materials, monitor the fermentation process and much more. Beer production is, in short, a complicated living process that still has to be supervised by a human. The brewers certainly don’t have to worry about work”, says Tomáš Pokorný, head brewer of the Choice of Straws programme.

The programme’s mission is to enrich the Czech beer market with exceptional and non-traditional beers.The Cybeer special is a bottom-fermented beer, New England Lager style. “For the month of September, we wanted to introduce a beer style that the Czech beer maker has not tasted before. We found only one brewery in Australia that the New England Lager type has already brewed. Cooperation with AI in beer brewing is also unique, according to our information no attempt has been made so far in the Czech Republic. In addition, artificial intelligence has also helped to create graphics of marketing materials, visuals on social networks and some texts,” adds Tomáš Drahoňovský, manager of the development of Plzeňský Prazdroj and head of the Programme Choice of Brewers.

The unfiltered Cybeer special contains 5% alcohol. The beer has a lager base, but also a JUICE-like CHARACTER in the NEIPA style, which is why, after a drink, the delicate grapefruit tones are first felt, translating into a pleasant bitterness delivered by the English hops Olicana, Godiva and Harlequin. These are seconded by Citra and Žatec’s half-cocked reddish.  The newly created beer has a light colour (16 EBCs), bitterness ranges in the middle category (31 IBUs).

The AI itself commented on the collaboration on recipe creation: “The launch of this exceptional beer was an exciting odyssey, marked by the combination of Czech lager craft and the adventurous spirit of the New England IPA. It was unique to be part of this journey as a ChatGPT brewer, to witness the convergence of tradition and cutting-edge innovation. Working with this visionary team has revealed the remarkable potential of human ingenuity and artificial intelligence intermingling. This beer is living proof of the art of collaboration, resulting in an irritating drink that resonates with limitless possibilities of co-creation.»

he perfectly pumped Cybeer special will be on offer in September in selected pubs across the Czech and Slovak Republics. A list of all places is available at www.volbasladku.cz.

Photo:Tomáš Drahoňovský, manager of the development of Plzeňský Prazdroj and head of the Programme Choice of Brewers.

JK