There are moments where I get to try things through the blog which really make me feel truly appreciative, this is one of those moments. We’re getting married in 6 weeks and we’re stocking our own bar, so having our own beer tap machine and keg is just unbelievable, but of course we had to test out a keg before the day, so it barely made the weekend.
How Do You Assemble It?
Opening it up, it looked relatively intimidating. But actually, once I got started, it was very self-explanatory. If you do get confused, I also watched a video from their PerfectDraft product page that demonstrated the technique for inserting the keg.
You start by putting the plastic tubing into the tap, then plug the tap onto the top of the keg (until it makes a clicking sound), then you simply slide it into the machine. That’s it, seriously!
Turn it on at the plug and your next step is to get the PerfectDraft app. Here you can control your machine temperature or find out if it’s running out of pints. The app connects to the machine through BlueTooth, while it’s quick and easy to sync up.
Why Get A PerfectDraft Machine?
I do love sitting in a beer garden and having a few pints with my mates, but the price of a pint is going up every time we visit (let alone if I head to London). But this is a more affordable option from the comfort of your own home.
You can host a BBQ and enjoy pub quality beer on tap, you may however make a few people jealous as they drink from cans or bottles, therefore you might want to provide some beers for them or ask them to chip in for a keg.
The machine can cool your beer to the required temperature, 4c for the Camden Pale Ale, taking around 12-24 hours. It will show the temperature on the front of the machine, as well as on the app.
I was amazed to see I didn’t need CO2, something I just blindly assumed would be a necessity for a beer pourer.
Another huge benefit is that it keeps the quality high for 30 days. This means you don’t have to worry about finishing it all over a single weekend, you can spread it out over a few events or fun weekends.
Any Tips?
Firstly, if you are setting it up just before people arrive then you’re going to be disappointed, as it took around 15 hours for our beer to reach the right temperature. You should therefore set this up in advance so your beer temperature is optimal.
You should also make sure to clean up the tap unit, the drip tray and use a descaler to prevent limescale build-up after usage.
I haven’t yet managed to pour a perfect pint, still getting a bit too much foam at the top, so this is a challenge I have to work out as I never worked in a pub and my technique is certainly lacking so far. But I’ll get there, it just requires plenty of practice, if I have to!
How Much Beer Do You Get?
The keg I got was 6 litres, which worked out as about 10.5 pints. The price to replace that keg would be £40, meaning each pint costs £3.80.
There are an amazing 40 different beer options which you can choose from. Sadly, they don’t yet have Blue Moon, my favourite (you can fill in a Google form from their website for any beer you’d like them to consider adding). Once they get that in…I’m hooked for life!
Don’t forget, once you’ve finished with your keg, you can return the keg and get £5 credit off your next beer order.
Where Do I Buy This From?
The starter pack I got is here, which includes the Camden Pale Ale keg, as well as two pint glasses. It’s also heavily reduced for Father’s day, so it’s worth getting it while you can, as the price should go up soon.
They have Klarna in place, so if the whole price is a bit too much for you, you can split it into 3 interest free payments.
