Beer pumps at a home near you

24 August 2004

BRUSSELS – Beer guzzlers can soon look forward to a cool one on tap without even stepping foot inside a pub, it was revealed on Tuesday.

From 15 November, beer taps can be installed in your own home to provide a ready flow of Pils or other famous brands at just the right temperature, reports La Derniere Heure.

The new invention, known as PerfectDraft, is a joint initiative of the world’s biggest brewer, Belgian company Interbrew (soon to become InBev) and electrical goods manufacturer Philips.

The invention will be tried out first on Belgian soil because of the country’s renown for good beers.

“According to the studies we have carried out, 59 percent of consumers prefer beer on tap to bottles,” said Frederic de Radigues, the commercial director for Interbrew Belgium.

Beer on tap is normally served at the ideal temperature of three degrees Celsius.

“79 percent of monthly beer drinkers would be interested in having such a device at home, and 87 percent of their spouses would accept it in their kitchen,” said Radigues.

The home beer tap contains its own internal cooling system and pump. It can hold the equivalent of 24 tankards of 25cl each.

The beer can be stored in the pump for up to one month after the opening of the barrel.

The cost may be the only drawback of this new contraption as customers can count on an initial price of EUR 199.99 for the pump and then EUR 14.99 for each barrel, plus a EUR 5 deposit.

While this works out at double the price of a bottle of beer, it would still be cheaper than getting a pint from your local pub. And the quality will be just the same.

Subject: Belgian news