Sapporo uses AI to create 1 trillion beverage flavor combinations

Photo by Junya Hemmi/Nikkei Asia

Partnering with IBM Japan, Brewer Sapporo Holdings uses AI to facilitate product development, producing over 1 trillion combinations for new flavors.

The drink AI became an efficient way to develop new products with its revolutionary method. This indeed is great news for the company as it helps meet the rapidly-growing demand for Japanese alcoholic drinks.

If you want to create a refreshing summer drink using the beverage-making AI, you will start by entering a general concept into the machine. Think of a “drink that tastes like a cool summer breeze.”

Thereafter, you can select up to ten flavor descriptors like “sour” or “sharp.” After this, you can choose one of 170 past Sapporo products as a reference. In turn, the drink AI will generate 100 possible formulations for the product in seconds, based on 1,200 previous formulations and 700 ingredients.

Sapporo taps AI to quench Japan's thirst for cocktails in a canhttps://t.co/c8ug1sCl4q
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In addition, the app will rate the flavors on a scale of 100 based on how closely it resembles the initial description.

Soichi Sakashita from the Sapporo unit of Sapporo Breweries claimed that theoretically, the system can produce over 1 trillion combinations. The entire process of creating a new flavor, from market analysis to consumer feedback, usually takes four to six months.

Soichi explained that the main goal of Sapporo’s drink AI is to expedite the process, saying that they could double the speed of the testing cycle and eventually triple it once they have the “know-how.”

(L-R) President of Orion Breweries Fumihiro Nakamura, President and COO of Asahi Breweries Hitoshi Ogita, President and Representative Director of Sapporo Breweries Masaru Fukunaga, President of Suntory, Nobutada Saji and President and COO Kirin Brewery, Kazuyasu Kato in a press conference to promote Beerden Week on February 13, 2007, in Tokyo, Japan | Photo by Junko Kimura/Getty Images

Also, the technology could help the company come up with never-before-tasted flavors since unlike humans, AI does not have any biases or notions about creating drinks.

Meanwhile, a Sapporo innovation expert said, “we could use unexpected formulas as our secret sauce.” Envision the drink AI suggests replacing vodka and other spirits with beer to create heavier cocktails.

Moreover, Sapporo hopes to use its drink AI to accept beverage ideas from customers and quickly distribute samples to the market.