Turning Water into Beer

What is the one thing that has been missing for drunks on the go? Why, portable beer of course.

Well, Pat's Backcountry Beverages (http://www.patsbcb.com/soda-concentrates) has broken the glass ceiling in the easy transportation of beer with its nifty beer concentrate. 

Because portaging cases of beer on a weekend camping trip is too darn taxing, Pat's has come up with a system for concentrating beer into a pocket-size packet that can be reconstituted in a minute or two into a fully carbonated 16-oz beer.

Apparently it operates on the same principle as those make-your-favorite-soda-at-home systems, only using a simpler, less expensive container. 

Ultra without the carbonation.

I haven't tried this stuff myself -- it's not on the market yet, but it may just work. I mean, could it be any worse than Michelob Ultra? Not in my book. After all, what is Ultra, but slightly beer-flavored sparking water?

At the heart of the process is a plastic water bottle-like affair that Pat's calls the Carbonator. There's a bit more to it than that, but it's remarkably simple looking. Inside is a small compartment for the secret-recipe powder that creates the carbonation. You pour a packet of beer syrup into the bottle, add the carbonating powder and water, open the top a couple of times, shake it up and you're ready to salute Texas and Miss Lilly. Pat's claims you will have a beer with a 5% alcohol content.

Because the syrup contains alcohol, it will only be sold in places already dispensing beer or liquor.

A kit with the Carbonator and six powder packets retails for $39.95. Just the Carbonator rings the register at $29.95. Pretty reasonable if you ask me.

When the beer concentrate finally makes it to market, there will be a Pale Ale and an IPA offered. Other types of beers will follow. A four-pack of concentrate packages will retail for $9.95.

Now, I certainly don't see myself hitting the trail with my Carbonator and beer packets, but here's another possibility: Sounds like the ideal method for sneaking cheap beer into concerts and other venues where BYOB is prohibited because they want to sell you $10 cans of beer.

I'm just sayin'.........