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Heineken shakes up home beer market
Heineken has tapped into the design flair of Apple’s Marc Newson to create a “revolutionary” draught beer dispenser for use at home.
Introducing this new gadget called “The Sub”, which represents a collaboration between himself, Heineken and technology firm Krups, Newson drew a comparison with the Nespresso machines that helped people to make their own high quality coffee at the touch of a button.
In an interview with design magazine Dezeen, Newson, who described himself as “a consistent beer drinker”, explained the implication of The Sub for the brewing sector.
“This will make available all different types of brands of beer around the world to people who would otherwise never be able to experience them,” he claimed.
“And if they could experience them they would be in a bottle or can, certainly not in a draft format. It’s really a kind of revolutionary shift in terms of this particular product.”
Although Heineken launched a similar product designed for the domestic sphere a decade ago, Newson argued that no other machine on the market offers the “same functionality and the same flexibility”.
The two-litre “Torps” used to refill the machine
Currently priced at €249 (£195), The Sub is already available in Europe in black or silver and stands 41cm high in the shape of a small beer cask. The user inserts a two-litre pressurised “Torp”, which comes in a range of Heineken brands, and then pulls their own pint.
Mark van Iterson, Heineken’s global head of design, confirmed that the device would launch in the UK next year, bringing with it a much broader range of draught beers than the company is currently able to offer this market.
“You will be able to order a Dutch Weissen beer which you could usually never buy in London,” he commented, describing “a whole ecosystem” surrounding the product which, he promised, “will enhance the home beer experience.”
Congrats! I am not a big beer drinker, but this concept really appeals to me. Nice idea to go for an Apple designer!
I have been trailing one of these for the last few weeks and have to say as a beer delivery system it is about as much good as a chocolate kettle.
Firstly even after being green lighted as ready to use for several hours (which incidentally also several hours to do even after pre-chiling the Torps in a freezer for two hours) it has never yet got the beer below six degrees, my domestic fridge can do better than that.
It is HUGE 51cm front to back, 30cm tall and 23cm wide meaning it takes up almost as much counter space as a microwave oven.
If all you want is a gadget to deliver a semi chilled beer when you get home from work or to relax with then I guess it does the job but if you are thinking it would be great for a man cave or outside delivering beer for all your friends at a barbecue then forget it, go out and buy a professional beer chilling cabinet, it will do a better job for less money and you won’t have to refill it every five minutes.
I have over the last thirty odd years worked in many pubs and clubs as well as running tow pubs of my own and have to say the ONLY thing about this thing I like is the design, it is a nice looking gadget but sadly a gadget is all it is.to make it anywhere near worth the asking price it needs double the capacity, a better chilling system and a pressure adjuster or better pressure regulation to prevent its other major problem of creating way too much head (anyone who knows about pub cellars management will tell you that it takes more than simply pressurising air to deliver a proper pint).
All in all its a soda stream for grown ups, don’t waste your money on this one wait until they iron out the bugs.
I give it 2 out of 10 and that is only because it looks the part and it probably has a limited market for gadget obsessed individuals with more money than sense.
Do you sell your beer despencer in Australia