We have been fortunate to receive a sneak peak of the new Stella PerfectDraft machine, a slick countertop draft system that lets you pull a perfect pint in your own home. Being a beer fan I must say, I am impressed.
The PerfectDraft machine looked complicated but actually proved very simple. First, snap the tap on top of the keg and connect a tube between the tap body and the keg. There are two doors at the front of the machine which open up (via a switch) so you can place the keg inside. Once plugged in the PerfectDraft cools the keg and its contents to the correct temperature (3°C in the case of Stella Artois), in our test it took about 3 hours to cool it by 9 degrees.
The appearance of the PerfectDraft is minimalistic but stylish, matt black with some shiny chrome details. It features an LCD display which shows you the current temperature, how much beer remains in the keg and a count of days until it expires (they recommend 30 days).
Now on to the important bit. If you’ve ever pulled a pint in a bar before the process is the same, make sure you tilt the glass at a 45° angle, pull the tap handle and pour your beer, as it approaches full adjust the angle and distance from the tap to produce your preferred head. As it is Stella, we had a chance to properly skim the top of the traditional Stella Chalice to seal the head. Taste-wise, the Stella was as good as any we’ve had in a pub. Win! Overall we were very impressed with the system, even though the system is not widely available yet.
Just think of the number of uses of a PerfectDraft system. It would be a great addition to parties, a necessity for any beer aficionado’s bar, and with the onslaught of Summer sports on TV you could enjoy Stella Artois at home while watching any event – PerfectDraft…for PerfectViewing.
Disclaimer: Stella Artois gifted me with a PerfectDraft machine for the purposes of this post. I was not paid for this post and all my thoughts are my honest opinion. PerfectDraft is not available in the UK.
