This beer draught system might come off as somewhat old news to some people who’ve already seen it but nevertheless deserves some publicity…
Washington-based GrinOn Industries has created a beer dispensing system called Bottoms Up Beer that can fill 4 24oz cups full of beer within seconds. They call it the “world’s fastest beer-dispensing system”. And they fill through the bottom. That’s right, the bottom. Yup. The bottom. Whack, right?
I’d seen one of these at a Celts game at the TD Garden here in Boston about 2 years ago and definitely thought it was pretty cool. I was in a rush so I couldn’t stop and investigate but wondered how it was actually done. Basically, a magnetic cap is centered on top of a small hole at the base of a plastic cup. When the cup is placed on top of the nozzle, the magnetic cap releases and beer is dispensed through the nozzle, into the cup and regulated by a timer. The machine can perform 12, 16, 20, or 24 oz pours. Pretty cool.
The machine costs around $3500 and is aimed at keeping beer lines moving, reduce spilling, and wowing the customer. According to an online article in the Coloradoan, Phil Hossler, general manager with the food service company Ovations, it takes about 10 seconds to normally pour a draft beer. He can serve 3 in that time using the Bottoms Up.
Overall I think this is a great invention. Beer lines will move faster and less beer will be lost but obviously it can only be used by plastic cups which is a downside. Technology has really helped the beer industry over the years and this is a great example. So keep your eyes open for a Bottoms Up beer. I wonder if you can taste the magnet at all…