MLB All-Star Game Debuts Self-Serve Beer Machines

Tired of hearing the dulcet sounds of a baseball stadium concessions worker shouting, "beer here!" as he walks through the stands, blocking your view of the foul pole? Welcome Draft Serv. Two of Draft Serv's automated self-serve beer machines will be installed at the Minnesota Twins' Target Field for Tuesday's All Star Game. Draft Serv is officially the only self-serving technology in American sports.

"It's a way to engage with the customer and allows the fan to have greater control of what they're drinking," Jerry Jacobs Jr., principal of Delaware North, whose Sportservice controls the concessions at 10 baseball stadiums including Target Field, told ESPN.

How does it work? Fans provide identification at a concession stand and purchase a $10, $20 or $40 beer card for the machines, where you can choose from up to four Anheuser-Busch beers, including, Budweiser, Bud Light, Shock Top, and Goose Island beers for 38 to 40 cents an ounce (That's $4.56 per 12-ounce bottle — almost $3 less than a regular bottle at Target Field). But fans can customize exactly how much beer they want. Relax, that doesn't mean that your beer is limit-less. THe machine does place limits on customers' cards.

The installation is a beta test, and if it goes well, the technology will be introduced in a more permanent fashion at other stadiums, including NFL, NHL, and NBA locations.

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Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter@JoannaFantozzi