Check out my new toy....

[cruzmisl]

Ok, I picked up a Beertender the other day before a BBQ party. It was a HUGE hit. We polished off 4 kegs before the night was done Could have killed more but I didn't have anymore (bad host). I never thought we'd go through that much but the beer is so cold and delicious it's hard to not drink it.

Once you "tap" the keg it stays fresh for 30 days. The digital display counts down the days, gives you a level of how much beer is remaining and allows you to adjust the tempersture (36, 39, 42f). It is expensive ($300) but I think it's worth it especially in the summer. Currently the only beer available is Heineken and Heineken Light. I enjoy boith beers so it's oK for me but I'm hoping other manufacturers will jump on the bandwagon. It's a great idea. I should note that the keg doesn't have the skunky taste of Heineken in the bottle for whatever reason. The Light is a great beer for summer. Very crisp and refreshing. People who hate Heineken were drinking it like water.

This thread is useless without pics so.............

[Sanny]

Re: Check out my new toy....

...Once you "tap" the keg it stays fresh for 30 days.

Alas, it would be wasted on me.

I had a six pack of Guinness in my frigerator for over a year!

But what a great thing for people who drink beer! Or if you are having a lot of summer parties. You're right, though. You need variety in your brands.

Wonder why only two brewers participate.

Hmm.

How large are the kegs (capacity) that go in?

Do you have to chill them before they're drinkable? Or does the minder chill the beer as you serve it?

[bobvoeh]

Re: Check out my new toy....

How large are the kegs (capacity) that go in?

I'm guessing that it is those little Heinekin kegs I saw advertised on tv. I think its like 5 litres or so.

[cruzmisl]

Yeah, the kegs are 5L or about 14 beers. You can put the keg in warm but it takes hours to chill. It's best to put them in cold. I'm not a huge drinker but I like this kind of stuff for parties. I have a Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville too and I rarely have frozen drinks but when we have company they love it.

[johnnyboy]

Neat machine Cruzmisl!!! You go buddy!! First I've ever seen. I'd like to see the same idea applied to the big kegs; date timer, etc.

5 Liters just isn't enough beer for a big beer drinker. Beer mugs I brought back from Germany hold one liter themselves. Right DJ? In fact, one mug I have holds two liters. That's some beer!

[cruzmisl]

A big drinker I am not. I agree for someone who's really into their beer it's probably not the greatest. I will say though the manual suggests an 8oz glass. Their reasoning is the beer stays colder and fresher. Makes sense. to me.

Reminds me when my mother used to say "you can have more once you finish what you have"

[bobvoeh]

I just make sure I have enough beer mugs to keep some in the freezer. Drink, wash, put in freezer and grab a cold one.

[ThreeDJ16]

Beer stuff is always cool!

-=Jasen=-

[bobvoeh]

Beer stuff is always cool!

-=Jasen=-

M'mmmmm, beer stuff... http://www.buildafunnel.com/beer_bong.php

They are getting fancy now, single, dual and quad beer bongs. Share the love !!!!

[johnnyboy]

bobvoeh wrote:

M'mmmmm, beer stuff... http://www.buildafunnel.com/beer_bong.php

OMG, what a reminder I don't need. Last year at a block party; someone shows up with a quad!

Of course my sons friends knowing I'm a beer drinker want to challenge me eehhh. So I do it and win. Another group then decides to challenge me; again I win. This goes on for three or four rounds and I finally quit. A while later they're hollering at me, come on John one more time, we got a guy here to beat you. That should have been my clue. So I get talked in. Already half lit okay! Long story short, the bastards thought it would be funny to put Jim Beam in with a little beer. Darn, that was a bad joke. 15 minutes later I'm done, back at home sicker than a dog.

Soooo, be careful and make darn sure you watch them fill it! Or better yet; DON'T WIN.

[tkline01]

By the way, the reason the keg Heineken doesn't task skunky is probably because it isn't in a green bottle. The green bottles do not block UV light....UV light makes beer skunky. But it might also be the fact that beer in a bottle is a more concentrated experience than beer in a keg. Maybe the makers of Heineken want the beer to be somewhat skunky.

UV exposure: Hop-derived molecules, called isohumulones, are basically ripped apart. Some of these parts bind with sulfur atoms to create that “skunk†character, which is similar in character to a skunk's natural defense and is such a potent compound that parts-per-trillion can be detected and even ruin a beer. Although brown bottles aid in protecting beer from being light-struck, it hardly makes the beer invincible. Green or clear bottles provide little to no protection. And it's been said that bottled beer can become light-struck in less than one minute in bright sun, after a few hours in diffuse daylight, and in a few days under normal fluorescent lighting.

[cruzmisl]

Wow, that's quite an in depth explanation.

[ThreeDJ16]

By the way, the reason the keg Heineken doesn't task skunky is probably because it isn't in a green bottle. The green bottles do not block UV light....UV light makes beer skunky. But it might also be the fact that beer in a bottle is a more concentrated experience than beer in a keg. Maybe the makers of Heineken want the beer to be somewhat skunky.

UV exposure: Hop-derived molecules, called isohumulones, are basically ripped apart. Some of these parts bind with sulfur atoms to create that “skunk†character, which is similar in character to a skunk's natural defense and is such a potent compound that parts-per-trillion can be detected and even ruin a beer. Although brown bottles aid in protecting beer from being light-struck, it hardly makes the beer invincible. Green or clear bottles provide little to no protection. And it's been said that bottled beer can become light-struck in less than one minute in bright sun, after a few hours in diffuse daylight, and in a few days under normal fluorescent lighting.

And hence the reason it became tradition for people to place lemon or lime on the corona bottles...to cover the smell. I freakn hate that when I order a Dos Equis dark and they put a damn lemon on it...argh...it is not even in a clear bottle....but don't even try to explain that one to them!

Don't know for sure, but have read that skunked beer is not as common anymore since a lot of larger breweries now use hop extracts. But then again, most beers I drink are not made at major breweries...hehehe...at least not any US ones.

-=Jasen=-

[ThreeDJ16]

This is getting closer to the size beer dispenser I need!

hehehe

http://www.kegerators.com/

-=Jasen=-

[bobvoeh]

This is getting closer to the size beer dispenser I need!

hehehe

http://www.kegerators.com/

-=Jasen=-

Way back in the day, a fellow tech at the computer shop we got started at had one of these http://www.beermeisters.com/general.html

Not sure how long it would keep a keg, but it was nice, cold and fresh when I was over there

[tkline01]

I mostly drink my own beer...been making it for about 3 years now.

[ThreeDJ16]

This is getting closer to the size beer dispenser I need!

hehehe

http://www.kegerators.com/

-=Jasen=-

Way back in the day, a fellow tech at the computer shop we got started at had one of these http://www.beermeisters.com/general.html

Not sure how long it would keep a keg, but it was nice, cold and fresh when I was over there

Only downside to most of these is that they are slightly too short for a cornelius keg (soda), which is the kind of keg we use for homebrew. Usually you have to make your own out of the mini frigs that don't have a freezer as there are a few slightly taller models. It's on my list to make...hehehe.

http://www.kegkits.com/kegerator1.htm

-=Jasen=-

[jdbower]

Re: Check out my new toy....

People who hate Heineken were drinking it like water.

Is comparing a beer to water really a good thing? That'll get you shot in Germany or, even better, Belgium!

[cruzmisl]

Clearly I'm not a beer snob.

[ThreeDJ16]

Re: Check out my new toy....

Currently the only beer available is Heineken and Heineken Light.

There are several other breweries that use mini kegs. Spatan, Warstiener, and Bitburger (I think Dinkel Acker also...not positive) are a few. Only thing is these require a CO2 cartridge to dispense.

BTW, here is a dispenser that works with the kegs I listed above and Heineken.

http://mugwarrior.com/2007/11/05/mini-b ... dispenser/

http://www.abt.com/product/31723.html?source=froogle

This is the mini keg dispenser I purchased from the homebrew shop many years ago. I rarely use it anymore as it tends to drip and you have to keep the keg in your frig. But it was cheap and all that was available back then.