2
hen you start a con-
versation surrounding beer, logistics is
rarely the first topic to come up. IBUs?
Yes. Shipping methods? No. It just
doesn't rouse debate quite like other
subjects, but that doesn't mean the
issues surrounding the transportation
and serving of beer matter any less than
the sudsy stuff itself. We all know what
a dirty draft line can do to an impecca-
ble beer, or how difficult it can be for
employees to consistently lift standard
kegs that weigh at least 140 pounds.
With the old idiom "logistical night-
mare" ringing true, these seemingly
insignificant problems can destroy an
on-premise account. Even with all the
dilemmas traditional kegs and drafts
create, these structures have not seen
much innovation in the past half cen-
tury. That is, until last September, when
HEINEKEN launched its revolutionary
BrewLock system.
Currently, bars and restaurants
can purchase both Heineken and
Newcastle in this new format. It
doesn't require any drilling—just the
plugging in of an air compressor,
which is roughly the size of a shoebox.
In October of last year alone, 1,000
establishments installed BrewLock,
and by the end of 2014, 3,000 accounts
had adopted the system, with a
roughly 50/50 split between the two
brands. Once installed, changing a
BrewLock keg goes from what once
was an arduous task with a typical
keg, to a simple twist that takes less
than a few moments.
by Emily Coleman / photos by Dusn Downing
