Coors light home draft
Essentially a stripped down tap a draft, this product is another form of packaging to compeat with the hyny keg. I know, for those who are really paying attention, you can get coors and coors light in the mini keg, but for many of us you just don't see then around here. Also compared to the keg can it is advertised to those who want large amounts of beer on hand for your gatherings or football party's. I'm personally not a big Coor's light drinker, but lets have a look.
As with the tap a draft it's a 1.5 gallon container. think a giant soda bottle that fits three growlers in it. Unlike a tap a draft it has provisions for only one co2 canister on it, and no stand/drip tray. The cardboard box acts as it's stand, however it was noted there are small feet formed in the bottle which may act as a stand if no box is around. The directions are clearly marked on the box, as is a small do not reuse/recycle label on the neck of the tap. To use you pull out the red tab, twist the co2 cartridge on (which produced a burbling sound much like a water bong as my co-tester puts it), pull down the red "safety" which locks the tap in place (a must if you have little hands in the fridge when you are not looking), put your glass under the tap and pull it down. It works similar to a bars tap set up, as you pull the tap handle co2 is let into the tank and beer is pushed out the nozzle.
Well the first two glasses were foam, I'm not sure it it was out not being familure with the poring style, or if it was an common issue with these (slimier to the mini kegs which always seem to put out some foam glasses when first used). After those first two tries the tap pored cleanly until it was finished. The beer? well it was good, fresh, clean tasting, and oddly filling. There was also a distinct co2 smell to it like you would get from any bar's tap set up. Also noted that when you put the handle up there is no dripping from the tap that plegs the mini kegs, so keeping it in the fridge means no clean up. It advertises the beer to be fresh for 30 days after opening, something never seem to have the ability to check.
Our tester lasted for about 15 glasses, not bad, but this prompted us to run out to get a second to finish our night (We noted the second had no foam glasses at all with the first glasses) . Price wise it falls inline with the 18-24 packs of Coors, so like the mini keg it falls within the curiosity realm, and has a small premium to pay for fresh beer. Unlike the mini keg they pour cleanly all the way through and left almost no beer in the container when done. between the two the home draft is clearly the better.
The results were what I expected considering that it's based on a system home brewers have used for years. As said before it's clearly marked not for reuse, I'm sure most people would not want to. Looking it over it is not known why, it does comes cleanly apart into cleanable pieces, although i'm sure the tap handle is cheap plastic and not meant for multiple uses. Unknown is if the co2 or nitro cartridges are the same as the tap a draft system. The bottles themselves can be sealed with a standard growler cap, so even if not reusable as a draft set up, for those who need a large storage container could use it.
JHS
