What if you could design a craft beer and then brew it in your kitchen with just the click of a mouse?

Thanks to two former Microsoft employees and a food scientist, you can. The trio has used technology to simplify the ancient art of brewing beer without sacrificing any of the fun鈥攐r the taste. 聽

Their machine is called the , which allows homebrew aficionados to make high-quality beer at home with about as much effort as it takes to run an espresso machine. And even though Zymatic automates most of the brewing process, it doesn鈥檛 completely quash creativity. Brewers still can tinker with their recipes and ingredients.

The Zymatic connects to the Internet so you can download a recipe directly to the machine. That information lets the Zymatic know when to release the grains and the hops you鈥檝e selected. You then fill the gadget up with the ingredients you want, hit the start button, and wait three and a half hours. Voil脿: You have a wort that can be cooled and then fermented. After about two weeks (once the yeast has done its job turning the glucose into alcohol and carbon dioxide), you鈥檒l have beer. Next step: Drink.

But, traditionalists might cry, isn鈥檛 homebrewing just as much about the process of making the beer as it is about the final product? Well, there鈥檚 a lot that can go wrong in homebrewing. Sterilization is key, but can be easier said than done. (There are opportunities for your brew to be contaminated, which will ruin your hard work.) The Zymatic, on the other hand, is intended to remove human error, thus allowing brewers to focus on their recipes and ingredients, says PicoBrew co-founder Bill Mitchell.

The master plan is to bring homebrewing to the masses. And if recent stats are any indication, there鈥檚 a broad market for this sort of technology: The American Homebrewers Association 聽and that number keeps growing.

PicoBrew last fall (it raised $511,000 more than its intended goal) and its founders believe that the social aspect of their machine will revolutionize homebrewing. The website allows users to share and rate consistent, clone-able recipes, thus growing the amount of high-quality homebrew out there. We can toast to that.

Available for pre-order now.

$1,799,

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When you head out into backcountry, you have to find the right balance between being prepared and carrying the lightest load. And camp chairs鈥攐ften bulky and cumbersome鈥攁re usually the first items to be jettisoned. But there鈥檚 a new breed of lightweight, compact chair that was born for backpacking. So whether you鈥檙e trekking into the wild or just planning a summer backyard-barbecue circuit, you won鈥檛 regret taking these comfortable seats along.

Helinox Chair One ($97)

Best for: Backpacking and bike touring
Weight: 1.97 pounds with tote bag

The Helinox Chair One has won two of the聽聽in the outdoor industry, and for good reason. The Chair One鈥檚 poles are made from the same TH72M aluminum-based alloy found in the world鈥檚 best tents and hiking staffs. With shock-cord technology, the self-locating poles automatically pop into place. All you have to do is slip on the mesh seat cover, and you鈥檙e ready to relax. Chair One can hold more than 300 pounds, but weighs less than two. When collapsed in a bag, it鈥檚 about the size of a shoe. Helinox also makes a from the same materials.

Alite Monarch ($70)

Best for: Backpacking and music festivals
Weight: 1.15 pounds

The Monarch is not your standard four-legged chair. In fact, it鈥檚 not a four-legged chair at all. This seat鈥檚 innovative two-leg design lets you use your center of gravity to either sit still or rock back and forth. The coolest part? It works on any terrain. At 1.5 pounds, the Monarch is a very lightweight chair, yet it can hold up to 250 pounds. We reviewed this product a few years ago and it鈥檚 still one of the best and most innovative camping chairs around.

Coleman Oversize Quad Chair with Cooler ($35)

Best for: Car camping and tailgating
Weight: 9.9 pounds

This chair has the same general design as your standard folding camp chair, but with some nice extras. Though fairly inexpensive ($35), it鈥檚 more durable than a cheap chair you might get from Walmart. While the Oversize聽chair聽is well built and functional, the feature that really sets it apart is its storage space: there鈥檚 a built-in cooler bag that can accommodate five beers and some ice. A storage flap on the other side will hold your keys, camera, snacks, and magazines.

Kelty Camp Chair ($25)

Best for: Backpacking, camping, watching a game
Weight: 1 pound

Everyone should have Kelty鈥檚 folding camp chair in their vehicle鈥檚 trunk. Simple design and versatility make this a worthy seat. Basically a sleeping pad, its closed-cell, Therm-a-Rest-style foam padding will insulate your bottom from the frozen ground. What raises the chair to furniture status, and not just that of a pad, though, are its internal composite stays (which give it structure) and its adjustable straps (which let you adjust your sitting position).

Chaheati Four-Season Heated Chair ($72)

Best for: Cold-weather camping and ice fishing
Weight: 8 pounds

This all-season chair has a built-in heater that will keep you warm during those cool spring nights. It uses a lightweight lithium-ion battery (no cords!) that can be recharged in the car as you drive. The聽Chaheati, which can go up to 145 degrees in less than 20 seconds, uses a single button for switching among four heat settings. The best part? Its battery lasts up to six hours, so you can spend a whole day ice fishing next winter without worrying about a frozen butt. Do keep in mind, though, that this chair is too bulky to bring on a backpacking trip.

Lafuma Futura Air Shell Zero Gravity Camp Chair ($240)

Best for: Car camping and stargazing
Weight: 17.4 pounds聽

This is the perfect perch to watch the sky from. All you have to do is lean back to recline, and resistance levers keep you in position. The chair鈥檚 ergonomic design and extended leg support render it the most comfortable on our list. A single-thread weave of Batyline material makes up the breathable, durable mesh. For added comfort, there鈥檚 a mattress that clips to the chair and that, along with the 3-D mesh, can be removed and washed.

Eagles Nest Outfitters Lounger Chair ($120)

Best for: Backpacking and camping
Weight: 3.37 pounds

Have you ever wanted to sit and read a book while hanging directly over a rushing backcountry stream? Then you might want to check out the Lounger. Eagles Nest, which makes some of the most popular camping hammocks on the market, has remained true to its history with the Lounger, a hanging seat you can set up just about anywhere. When teamed up with a carabiner and a strap, the Air Craft aluminum frame can hold up to 250 pounds. The adjustable angle-of-recline and dangling-footrest features let you customize whatever space you choose to occupy.

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