The good folks at Heineken, whom you may have noticed have been advertising their new Draughtkeg system on Giz recently, thought it would be a good idea to send us one of them to “review”. I reluctantly agreed.The Heineken Draughtkeg is so simple that even the drunkest of drunkards can operate it, which is probably a good thing if you happen to drink all five litres in one sitting. The first step, ironically, is also the hardest: you need to stick the keg in a fridge – for 10 hours. It makes sense, but doesn’t make the wait for sweet, amber liquid on a Friday afternoon any easier.
Once your beer is cold, you pull out the plastic fitting on the top of the keg, rinse the tap, and then clip the handle onto the notch in the centre of the keg. Then you place the tap in the groove, push down a bit, and when you’re ready pull the round tap lid back like you’re pulling a real beer at the finest pub in Amsterdam.
The first beer out of the Draughtkeg – for me – turned out to be 50% head, and had me preparing my razor sharp wit for a scathing review. However, every subsequent beer has had just that perfect amount of head on it, making it easy and pleasant to drink.
Heineken claims that the Draughtkeg will last up to 30 days after opening – although it’s only been a week since I cracked mine, so I can’t tell you if that’s true or not. I probably won’t be able to either – 5 litres of beer only goes so far, and on a beautiful Friday afternoon, the urge to pull a fresh one off the near-empty keg is mighty high.
Obviously the question of whether or not you want to opt for a keg or a case the next time you head to Dan Murphy’s will depend largely on your taste in beer – while I quite enjoy Heineken, it’s far from my favourite beer. If I could grab, say, a James Squires Amber Ale Draughtkeg, I’d be all over it every week – there’s something about the ability to pour your own beer that’s incredibly refreshing. Which means that if you happen to be a Heineken fan, then the $35 (ish) Draughtkeg is a seriously good option.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m calling it beer o’clock. Cheers…
Gladice
May 8, 2009 at 4:37 PM
I’ve bought one of these about three times now…I’d say the head on the first 5 beers is more like 85% head. The novelty of a keg is nice but a slab is probably a better option.
Report Permalinklamul
May 8, 2009 at 4:52 PM
James Squire???? Make it a Little Creatures and I’m in.
Report Permalinkferal
May 8, 2009 at 4:53 PM
Glad to see another Amber Ale Addict :-)
Report PermalinkAshley
May 8, 2009 at 5:33 PM
I found the last few beers I pulled from the keg 5 days after it was cracked, had no head and didn’t taste as nice as the the others.
but that’s dregs for ya.
I reckon it would do ok at a party where it would be emptied the same day it was cracked
Report PermalinkHamish
May 8, 2009 at 5:37 PM
OR, you could buy a slab (9L for 375mL) for not too much more, not have to waste beer in the initial pours that seem to be more head than anything else.
P.S. Get some heavy duty cable ties and a hills hoist. Best goon of fortune ever.
Report PermalinkLuke
May 9, 2009 at 12:30 AM
As much as I love Heineken, it’s my favourite beer when I’m not drinking Pure Blonde, this draught keg doesn’t work out for price.
ie. I can buy a 9L case for $40-45 most weeks.
OR I can buy a 5L draught keg for $35+ (normally ++)
To me it doesn’t work out.
Report PermalinkThese recession times makes me consider such factors. I went to the heineken brewery in Amsterdam but they were “closed for refurbishment” and I love on tap heineken, but if I can get close to double the amount of beer for $5 more then there’s not much comparison.
Drvec
May 9, 2009 at 8:37 PM
Ah yes, James Squires Amber Ale. It would seem we have something in common.
Reviewing a beer keg… you have a sweet job.
Report PermalinkSam
May 10, 2009 at 12:24 PM
I’m a fan of the DraughtKeg too…polished off one with a mate on a recent Saturday arvo – went down well ;-)
Report PermalinkBrendan
May 11, 2009 at 9:31 AM
Yes a James Squire Amber Ale keg would be tops
Report Permalinkpoedgirl
May 11, 2009 at 12:06 PM
I will never buy one of these again, almost the entire glass was head every single time. We even tried different tilting, but the way the nozzle is bent just makes that retardedly hard.
Report PermalinkRoBB
June 24, 2009 at 9:11 PM
I like the option to pour your own beer for sure. Its nice and cold in the Keg and its quite neat. BUT… just 1 week and a half, and only two sessions using it including this one I can surely say that it definitely doesn’t hold up its freshness, in fact i’d like to know how they actually hold up that guarantee!?!? Where do I go now that it hasn;t held up its freshness.?
Report Permalinkrichstacy
June 28, 2009 at 3:02 AM
OK friends down under, Yank here. What’s a ‘slab?’
Report PermalinkShayne
October 19, 2010 at 11:40 PM
Richstacy. Late reply here. But, a “slab” is a case. You’ll also hear a case of beer referred to as a “carton” in some Aussie states.
Report Permalinkrichstacy
June 28, 2009 at 3:06 AM
BTW, My daughter bought me a draught keg and the Beerkeeper for father’s day. It works quite nicely, except there is a bit too much of a head, especially at first. And it would be really nice if other kegs would fit into it. Why can’t these tiny kegs be standardized?
Report PermalinkWalter Cain
December 30, 2009 at 1:55 PM
I would just like to say that the Krups cooler is nice. The keg is twice as expensive per ounce as bottled Heineken and thats a shame and totally unacceptable.
Report PermalinkThe beer doesn’t stay fresh despite the claims and most of the time the kegs have been handled so roughly that the pressure cartridge or whatever keeps the foam down is dislodged and its all head and no beer. This has happened several times and its difficult to find a keg that doesnt rattle when shaken, which means it will be mostly foam. If the per ounce cost was equivalent to bottles, I would be happy. As it is, this beerkeeper is at the end of its use. Its not worth the money. Anyone want to buy one cheap??
Gil
January 1, 2011 at 11:46 AM
I’m only allowed one can of beer a day by the wife, so the keg is perfect(One Keg one can). P.S. They make a great 6 pack.
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