Could vending machines dispense hard seltzer? Canned cocktails?

Innovators at Anheuser-Busch, The Coca-Cola Company, and technology leaders like Civic are creeping closer to offering a contactless dispenser, thanks to blockchain technology, improved vending components, and a groundswell of support for anything that reduces contamination risks.

Some 40 states currently allow liquor dispensing machines, with the primary concern in states like Connecticut being the loss of bartender jobs. The issue was raised in “An act concerning certain alcoholic beverage machines” in their legislature. Even the Florida Brewer’s Guild opposed a entrepreneur’s petition to allow beer vending machines in his Miami condos.

But you can’t stop technology and innovation.

As the leader in fountain beverages, Coca-Cola Freestyle has developed the latest in contactless dispensing. In the current climate, people may be seeking touchless options.

Coca-Cola Freestyle has introduced Mobile Pour — a new way for guests to pour their favorite drinks, using their smartphone. The company boasts that there are no apps downloads or memberships required.

Here’s how Mobile Pour works

First the guest places the glass under the dispenser.

Next, scan the QRcode using their smartphone camera.

Tap the popup banner, opening a new browser window, where they see all brands at their fingertips.

They select their favorite brand and a flavor to add.

Press and hold the pour button from their phone.

“What’s actually happening is a series of signals and steps taking place in the cloud — verifying that each phone is connected to the right machine, only in-stock beverages are shown as flavor options, and that pours start and stop with the touch of a button on the phone screen,” explained Michael Connor, Chief Architect for Coca-Cola Freestyle leading Digital Innovation, Data Science & Analytics, and Enterprise Architecture . “All this needs to happen in near-real time.”

Hoshizaki creeps closer to the idea of beer dispensing with its launch of a beer dispenser. Their automatic beer dispensing equipment, called the BeerMatic, is being marketed as a way to improve service at mobile bars and other onsite events, reducing human contact.

Leveraging Blockchain for Age Identification

The emerging opportunities minds at the Anheuser-Busch’s ZX Ventures have been working on lots of ideas, including BeerBox and Civic, the Blockchain-based identity app.

Civic partnered with A-B to find a way to dispense beer, using Blockchain via their app to verify the purchase is of legal drinking age. The company’s Co-Founder and CEO, Vinny Lingham explained that Civic’s app makes it possible to verify an identity without revealing too much information about each user.

In Austin’s SXSW of 2019 (the event was ironically cancelled in 2020 due to the coronavirus), Civic showcased their technology with a vending machine of the future. That iteration of the technology paired age verification with payment in a piece of equipment that can be used at retail. The company has been laser-focused on developing digital identity solutions, but melding that technology with applications is what gets them noticed, spawning partnerships and funding.

“We see automated retail opportunities and beer vending machines as a big step towards making digital identity accessible for the everyday consumer and helping people understand the benefits a digital identity, regardless of their interest in the blockchain,” Lingham said in an update last year.