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I tested it with a range of kegs, including a Heineken, a foreign beer I've forgotten the name of and one of my favourite tipples, Adnams Ghost Ship. Rather, the idea of a home beer dispenser like this isn’t a particularly compelling one. It’s more complicated than one expects it to be; it’s also expensive, and it makes little sense to put a keg with its own dispenser... in a dispenser. Unlike setting up a full-blown pump that you'd get in a pub with gas cylinders and miles of piping, setting up one of these pumps at home is a doddle. The difficulty with the Salter Universal Chilled Draught Beer Dispenser is that it needs to cater for both types of keg, neither of which has been specifically designed for machine use. To fit a keg, I had to position the long adaptor. This has to be pushed through the hole on top of the keg (vent or tap), but it isn’t as easy a process as I had first thought. So it’s easier to get hold of the beer to use Salter’s system; however, it’s more of a faff to use than PerfectDraft and it will cool your beer for only up to 21 hours. Design and Features
Fear not, there are plenty of affordable, budget-friendly options to choose from online, including your favourite - or next favourite - beer. It'll take a while to get your canisters to the correct pressure and to cool your beer, but the process doesn't require a lot of input from you. What is the best home beer dispenser? The size of the kegs means that you’ll get just over 10 pints of beer a turn, and each keg lasts for up to 30 days once opened. I feel that this is a good compromise: there’s enough beer for a small gathering, or to accommodate a single person over the course of a couple of weeks.
We all like a beer at home too — a bag of cans or a few bottles are all well and good — but it’s not the same as a proper pub-pulled pint. That’s why the home dispenser has become increasingly popular. For beer enthusiasts, it should go alongside the coffee machine or kettle. One of those absolutely essential appliances that every kitchen needs. Let the beer settle. If you’ve had your keg delivered it may have been shaken about and that can make for a big old glass of froth. Let the keg settle for as long as you have time and when you’re popping it in the dispenser, do so smoothly to minimise shaking it up again. The real difference between PerfectDraft and universal 5-litre kegs is the purpose for which they’re designed. PerfectDraft kegs are for use specifically with said machine, so fit it perfectly, with very little hassle. Beer from universal 5-litre kegs is designed to dispense directly from the keg itself, using the integrated tap. We cover the wonders of the self-brewing Pinter 2 below but if you're after an upgrade, the 3rd iteration of the popular at-home beer-making kit brings all the fun of making your own beers but takes it one step further. Where's the new stuff? An active pour tap that extracts the brewer's beer with precision, drawing out foam, notes and bubbles for a perfect draught every time. This tap will adjust itself to the pressure built-up in the keg so you don't end up spurting it everywhere, and there's a range of fun colourways that are certain to catch an admiring eye at this year's BBQ. Using the Salter Universal Chilled Draught Beer Dispenser with an uncarbonated keg requires fiddling with the CO2 tap at the rear. This adjusts the pressure release valve – to pour beer I had to move from the “-” position towards the “+” position. Getting the right setting is vital: not enough gas and beer was dispensed as a dribble; too much resulted in a lot of froth. With carbonated kegs, I didn’t have to worry about this.
Plus, you can get your hands on kegs from Corona, Jupiler, Leffes, Stella Artois, Thornbridge and more with your machine as part of a starter bundle. We initially thought this machine was the ugliest of the bunch, but our partner insisted the temperature gauges, high-quality drip tray and the fact you can see the keg were all very appealing. We've seen these used in bars and pubs, so we had high expectations for the pour, and it didn’t disappoint - it’s a very professional beer that comes out of the pump, chilled to a refreshing 2 degrees.PerfectDraft kegs have an internal aluminium bag that holds the beer, with the machine using a compressor to push air into the keg to maintain pressure without affecting the beer. There’s no faffing about with CO2 canisters, as is the case with the Salter Pro Universal Chilled Draft Beer Dispenser. Performance
When you’ve filled the glass around 2/3rds full, it’s time to focus on the head. Lower the glass further from the spout or if using the Fizzics machine, flip the tap away from you for the final foamy flourish. Its six-litre capacity means that it's a perfect party piece for small gatherings, making you the new favourite host with the most. Value for money: we assessed whether the performance, ease of use and additional functionality justified the price. We also tested beer dispensers at a variety of prices to see if it was necessary to spend more money. Any beer in the keg will stay fresh for 30 days after your first pour, so there's plenty of time to work through a keg if you're going at it alone. Full opening of the tap poured a perfect beer every time, with a smooth head of the type you’d normally only get in a pub; this just isn’t something you can replicate if pouring from a bottle.
What's the best beer dispenser of 2023?
Consider yourself a bona fide beer aficionado? If you know your IPAs from your stouts, chances are you've considered setting up an at-home bar of some sort to enjoy your brews away from the local watering hole. It should go without saying that tabletop beer dispensers are growing in popularity – much to your local barkeep's chagrin – and even if the weather is winding down to winter and BBQ season is over, it doesn't mean you can't enjoy a good sup from the comfort of your own sofa. Just take a look at the wealth of beer advent calendars to see the truth of that statement.
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