Bud Light’s smart fridge follows your teams and tallies your brews, bro

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It started so innocently. It was 4:30; I tested the microwave oven in the office kitchen. I opened the fridge to get the cookie dough and grabbed a can of berry flavored soda. I wasn’t prepared for how delicious it was. Soon, every day around 4:30, I was heading to the fridge for a burst of berries. But cans are a popular commodity and run out quickly. If only there was a way to keep track of the cans, to know if I should expect disappointment when I open the fridge and find only the lemon version.

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Believe it or not, Bud Light has a cooler that’s pretty close. It just announced a smart home beer fridge, the Bud-E Fridge. The refrigerator connected to the Wi-Fi network shows exactly how many bottles or cans you have left.

I received a notification whenever someone grabbed beer from the fridge, and I arrested more than one associate this way.

Developed with Buzz Connect and Linq IQ, Bud-E has up to 78 beers, either with a mix of bottles and cans or all cans. The number of beers you have is displayed on the fridge’s LED display on the front of the fridge. Bud-E is about the size of a mini fridge and emblazoned with the Bud Light logo. Be warned: you can’t put it in the garage, because it’s not made to operate in temperatures below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Although the owner’s manual says it’s for the US, it describes the devices that help the fridge detect the number of beers as “colored rollers”. Why is that “in” there? In the future I will just call them rollers. They are magnetic and the shelves are angled down, so when you reach for a bud, the roller behind it slides forward until it reaches the next bottle or shelf teeth. The whole system makes filling the cooler a two-handed operation, as you have to hold the roller and insert the bottle or can.

Setup was pretty easy. I put on the rollers, turned on the fridge and downloaded the app. Apparently you have to be 21 to even operate a Bud Light cooler; the application immediately asks for your date of birth. Then you activate the Wi-Fi sensor that pairs with your phone via flash. Then you’re ready to start stockpiling.

The counter worked flawlessly with the cans. I would take a few out and close the door and the screen would light up a few seconds later with the correct number of drinks. However, there were occasional misfires when the roller remained in place. Bud Light apparently just wants you to fill your fridge with its products, but my can of soda water counts along with the others.

When it comes to bottles, things were a bit mixed when unsanctioned beer was used. Ninkasi is a microbrewery from Eugene, Oregon, whose 12-ounce bottles are a bit smaller than traditional Bud Lights. Sometimes it registered when it was in the middle of a stack of cans, but not when it was at the front of the line. Something similar happened with a bottle that held slightly more than a pint of beer, even though Bud Light says the cooler is only for 12-ounce bottles and cans.

In terms of temperature, the refrigerator has five settings between “chill” and “super chill”. That’s Bud-speak for between 41 degrees Fahrenheit and 27 degrees Fahrenheit. You’ll have to change the temperature on the fridge itself though, as there’s no way to do it from the app.

The app has some great features, but it could be a little buggy. For example, during setup you can choose which NFL teams to follow. The cooler will then remind you of the upcoming games and remind you that your supplies are low bro. It will also make celebration sounds when your team scores. Now, I could worry about football, but out of loyalty to my friends in Seattle, I’ve decided to follow the Seahawks. The application is not you want me to do it. I would click on him and he would pick the 49ers over every time. I could pick the Seahawks then, but would later deselect. Conspiracy or mistake? You decide.

I also needed to be able to change some of the sounds the fridge makes, like the noise when the door opens or when I add beer. However, no matter how many times I clicked the alternatives, the setting stubbornly remained at the default. This was a shame, because the screeching sound when the door is left open for more than a minute scares me to death every time it comes on.

In case you don’t know where your local beer store is, a location-based map shows you all the places you can buy Bud Light. San Francisco, LA and San Diego also have beer delivery options via the app. The cold countdown feature – which sent an alert to my phone when my warm beers cooled down to fridge temperature – was handy, but it was the e-Alarm that captured my heart. When it was on, I got a notification whenever someone grabbed a beer from the fridge. I have arrested more than one associate this way. There’s even a “chat” option, so I can scold them for drinking in the middle of the morning. However, there was a slight delay between sending and receiving the voice message, so the thief could have easily escaped in the meantime.

Starting today, a limited number of coolers will be available for purchase on BudLight.com. And maybe only big Buddha fans will like it. Because while some may say that it’s not what’s on the outside that counts, it’s what’s on the inside, just remember that while you can put whatever beer you want in a smart fridge, it will always say Bud Light on the front.