kudzu Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Stumbling upon the Krups/Heineken BeerTender got me to wondering about the practicality of draft beer at home. Of the various options available, particularly in the US, what do you think? Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 No idea about the US, but it has now become a 'common thing' with many beer drinkers in our country..... which of course is the home of Heineken (and a few others). Link to comment
motorman587 Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 And put a wet mug in the freezer. Outstanding!!!!!! It last a about 30 days in the frig............ Link to comment
Fugu Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 What beer do you like? THe best reason I can see for draft beer at home is home brewing or drinking micro brews. Most people won't go through a standard keg fast enough for it to make sense, but microbreweries have 5 gallon kegs available in many cases, and that size keg is a favorite among home brewers. I am the latter and have 2x 5 gallon Cornelius kegs on tap in a half height fridge with a tap tower. I also bottle home brew. There are some beers I brew that we just won't go through 5 gallons of fast enough to have kegging make sense, or some that we want to lay down and cellar like that late comer to the alcholic beverage party wine. Link to comment
kudzu Posted June 7, 2008 Author Share Posted June 7, 2008 ...but it has now become a 'common thing' with many beer drinkers in our country... Francois, would that be the BeerTender specifically or draught beer at home in general? Link to comment
kudzu Posted June 7, 2008 Author Share Posted June 7, 2008 What beer do you like? THe best reason I can see for draft beer at home is home brewing or drinking micro brews. Heineken is fine with me, though I am not sure I want to be limited to Heineken as is the case with the BeerTender. Home brewing or even seriously pursuing superior micro brews is way beyond my level of commitment. Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Draught beer from a 'private' beer tender yes. Used a lot with parties, barbecues and other 'festive' events with a few more people attending. Not for your one-off evening beer I don't think. Link to comment
Fugu Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 For regular beers like Heinekin I think the only benefit is the gee whiz factor. No way I'd bother. Heineken out of a bottle or can tastes the same. In fact I defy you to detect the difference between most beers from a bottle (properly cared for) and a keg (again properly cared for). Exceptions are thinks like Guinness that is served on nitrogen, not CO2 on tap. Trying to get it the same in a can is tough- they have a gimmick for it that helps, but Guinness from a can is a waste of time. If it's a beer on CO2 though, it's the exact same thing. Vessel filled with beer, the air gap filled w/ CO2 - that's the end - fresh beer properly refrigerated in either case. The little mini kegs for the cutesy beer tap systems come off the same line as the bottles. Save your dough for more beer. Link to comment
Fightingpiper Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Back in college my roomate and I got a Beermeister fridge from Sears and justified the purchase that it would only take about 5 kegs of beer to pay for itself instead of buying cases of cans. The thing was fantasic for parties and if we ever went camping we would take the CO2 system and a quater barrel in the trunk of the car-no need for the barbaric hand pump.. We finally grew up and I don't know what he ever ended up doing with the system I think it got left at an exgirlfriends when he moved out. Somedays I still wish I had it in my basement with a fine quater barrel of 1919 Rootbeer on tap.....now that would be tasty.... Link to comment
Geezer Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Years ago I bought an old refrigerator, installed a CO2 system, a tap, and a half-keg (16 gallons). There was a great selection of beers available since I could purchase any beer that was served in a restaurant/bar. The main reason for setting this up was that I liked draft better than anything out of a can or bottle, but another reason was that if I wanted just a little beer I could just drew a small one. Riiight, never happened. Turned out to be an excuse to drink too much beer All the neighbors loved stopping by. Link to comment
OoPEZoO Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Turned out to be an excuse to drink too much beer All the neighbors loved stopping by. Thats the #1 reason I refuse to put in a tap system. I even had one offered to me for free a few months ago. I had to say no.....I would NEVER be able to get anything done around the house. Link to comment
notacop Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 My 30ish son and his father-in-law brew beer all the time. some of it quite nice. There are local newspapers dedicated to micro brews and the science there of. Get thee a cask and molder those hops. Ben of the Franklins said beer is proof that Gawd loves us. Get all the love you can, brother! Link to comment
Husker Red Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 but another reason was that if I wanted just a little beer I could just drew a small one. Riiight, never happened. That's funny stuff. That sounds like an excuse I might try on my wife to justify purchase - kind of like how the RT gets such great gas mileage! Link to comment
kudzu Posted June 7, 2008 Author Share Posted June 7, 2008 but another reason was that if I wanted just a little beer I could just drew a small one. Riiight, never happened. That's funny stuff. That sounds like an excuse I might try on my wife to justify purchase - kind of like how the RT gets such great gas mileage! Well, if you are going down that road, don't overlook the economy of draft beer in volume. Link to comment
David Posted June 7, 2008 Share Posted June 7, 2008 Our oldest does this pretty seriously. There are three of them, and they're starting out home-brewing, but with a lot of word-of-mouth marketing. The goal, which I'd put $1,000 on actually happening, is a micro operation in Atlanta. We were at their regular meeting a few months ago helping with an open house for 200+ people! http://www.mondaynightbrewery.com Link to comment
hANNAbONE Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 What beer do you like? THe best reason I can see for draft beer at home is home brewing or drinking micro brews. Most people won't go through a standard keg fast enough for it to make sense, but microbreweries have 5 gallon kegs available in many cases, and that size keg is a favorite among home brewers. I am the latter and have 2x 5 gallon Cornelius kegs on tap in a half height fridge with a tap tower. I also bottle home brew. There are some beers I brew that we just won't go through 5 gallons of fast enough to have kegging make sense, or some that we want to lay down and cellar like that late comer to the alcholic beverage party wine. dEWD...i'M coming to your house..!! WooFriggenHoo..! Link to comment
Lone_RT_rider Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 There are some beers I brew that we just won't go through 5 gallons of fast enough to have kegging make sense,...... Yeah, like this little number. My friend who spends a fair bit of time in Germany said putting this beer under his nose was like sticking his head out of the train while going through the area where they grow hops. Man was that a hoppy beer! I think I need to brew that one again in the fall Shawn Link to comment
hopz Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 Like Fugu, I am a home brewer and I love the process and the product. if I like a certain recipe but want it just a little bit more hoppy, or even a lot more hoppy, or malty, or different color; I just chang ehthe recipe. At the moment I have a Dry Stout and a Bohemiam Pilsner on tap. I seldom bottle any longer. Keg is the way to go for me. Link to comment
Lone_RT_rider Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 I seldom bottle any longer. Keg is the way to go for me. I'm the opposite. I have made somewhere over 20 batches now. I lost count a while back. I still bottle because I have found it very hard to balance a keg and a CO^2 bottle on the back of the RT. Now... maybe if I had an LT... Shawn Link to comment
Fugu Posted June 8, 2008 Share Posted June 8, 2008 Lone_RT_rider- Check this out: http://pivo.northernbrewer.com/nbstore/action/search-do?searchTerm=carbonator+cap Scroll down to the red cap. You get those and dispense homebrew from your keg into a sanitized 2 or 3 liter bottle, cap it, then put it under 12 lbs of CO2 from your keg fittings. Travels way better than bottles - no breakage, and once you drink it, keep the cap and chuck the bottle. You just save the bottle next time you kill a soda 2 liter or whatever. I like them a lot. Link to comment
hopz Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Fugu did not seem to have any problem bringing a nice pair of two liter bottles of his fine Barleywine to our Tech Daze dinner. +1 on the carbonator caps. Link to comment
tallman Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Now that is truly advancement in zymurgy and 2 wheel transportation. In the 70's and 80's I participated in the Local Brewers Association of Zymurgists. In 10 years I probably brewed over 3,000 gallons,and sanitized 36,000 bottles. Friends branched out into the 5 gal containers w/pony size fridge. At the time, the bomb. This would be the way to go, using modern adaptations, if you are a regular imbiber. There should be a local group, w/someone already doing what you are contemplating. Brewing Tech Sessions can't be far behind. I've been to parties (back in the day) where over 50 styles of home brew were hooked up to a CO2 system and all available on draught. Ahhhhhhh... Sadly, those days are merely memories. But, thanks for giving me a reason to reminisce. Link to comment
hopz Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Lets see, Tallahassee? There must be some beer drinking going on near there somewhere... p.s. My daughter and my money went to UF Link to comment
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