With Christmas looming, you’re bound to have beer-guzzling buddy you’ve still not bought for. Well fear not, craft beer home brewing kits are getting sleeker and sleeker (if still not all that affordable).

We recently looked at Beer Tree a gravity fed home brewing kit that not only streamlines the brewing process but stylises it as well, but compared to a new fully automated, smartphone-controlled home brewing machine called Brewie, the contraption looks archaic.

Brewie’s automated settings can be customised to serve either beginner or expert brewers. For those new to the brewing process, Brewie sells a “Brewie Pad,” including measured ingredients and an RFID card that automates the production of a Stout, Red Ale, Pilsner, or IPA. More accomplished brewers can control 23 parameters of the brewing process with the option to add hops at 10 different stages. After 5-6 hours of cooking and 5-14 days of fermentation, a tailored brew is ready to enjoy.

For $1,399, not only can Brewie let you tinker with your batch remotely now that it's connected to the Internet of Things, but it lets you save your settings to reproduce your favourite recipes again and again. Plus, professional micro-brewers can experiment with Brewie to cut down on waste and save money. Brewie is available for pre-order through an IndieGogo Campaign.