Friday, August 31, 2007

The world's biggest can of beer

You're dying to know more about the Heineken Draughtkeg, right? Well, I was, which is why I went out and bought one. The first thing you notice is that it's smaller than it looks on the TV. As you can see from the carefully posed photo [right] it's both portable and potable.
The tap snaps onto the top, and you're promised fresh beer for 30 days after tapping. It holds "1.33 gallons of lager beer", (or 20 8-ounce glasses) so 30 days should just about do it.
It's perfect for single people who like draft beer, football tailgate parties or dragging along to a party to impress your friends.
My local store sells them already chilled, otherwise you have to cool it for 10 hours before it's ready to drink, and it fits nicely in your kitchen refrigerator.
Heineken isn't necessarily my first choice for beer, but this thing is so cool that I just had to check it out. Now, if we can get the Samuel Adams guys on the job, we'll really have something.
One store around here sells it for 17 bucks and another for twenty, so guess how much I paid?
Two hints: One, you're going to get some foam on the initial pour, so take it easy. It pours easily, and the tap is sensitive. Two: It dribbles after it shoots, so put a paper towel on the refrigerator shelf. It sets up easily, after you break the tap out of its blister pack. The beer is good, though. Fresh and smooth.
And, as I wondered last week, I'm open to suggestions as to what to do with the empty keg - which I do not anticipate stretching to its 30-day limit.

4 comments:

Kate Michele said...

"It dribbles after it shoots"

There's a dirty joke there...but since I'm a lady, I'll let it go ;)

Okay I'm not a beer drinker in the least, so tell me difference from this and the bottles is?

Anthony said...

Beer snobs [not me] figure that beer in a keg is better than beer in a bottle. There are levels:

LOWEST: Beer in a can or beer in plastic.
SLIGHTLY HIGHER: Beer in a bottle, but the bottle has to be brown. Clear bottles or opaque colors let light in - unless they're in your refrigerator with the door closed.
HIGHER: Kegs.
HIGHEST: Fresh brewed beer that comes right from the cask. Those are served at those fancy brewpubs that you can find.

This tiny keg probably falls closer to the top than the bottom. There's a little CO2 cylinder inside that helps get the beer out. Real kegs don't have that. I think that's where the extra foam comes from.

Mostly, I just like technology, and when you combine it with beer, it's kinda cool.

Ladyred said...

I would say make a Halloween costume out of it but it doesn't look like it would fit on you.

I like the planter idea myself.

Other than that I'm drawing a blank at the moment.

Sparky Duck said...

That would be wicked cool if it wasnt Heineken