The company that sped up pulls of draft beer at sports stadiums around the country with its Turbo Tap nozzle is bringing the technology to rec rooms across America.
...Time magazine lists the gadget as one of the coolest inventions of 2005 in an issue that hits newsstands Monday.
After all the attention, the company says hundreds of beer drinkers are clamoring to get a Turbo Tap of their own. On Monday the company will start selling home kits online for those who have drilled holes in refrigerators to make "kegerators" or bought special coolers to serve draft beer in their basements, garages and recreation rooms.
"It brings the project back to our roots," said inventor Matthew Younkle, the company's president and chief technology officer, who came up with the idea with partner Kristofer Dressler when they were students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
"At that point we weren't thinking about pouring beer in a concession environment," said Younkle, 32. "We were thinking about ways to pour beer faster at a party."
[...]
While home users are not concerned with better sales, they are drawn by the same attributes that attracted businesses: pints poured in about two seconds — what the company claims is up to four times faster than a normal tap — and keg yield up to 30 percent better than regular.
Because the tap smooths the pouring process, there is a regulated amount of foam, a lot of which normally goes down the drain in the quest for the perfect head. Efficient pours can mean up to 20 more beers per keg even for people who have no experience pulling beer, the company says.
[...]
For now, Younkle said he realizes the home market is just a drop in the bucket. The company is also working on a picnic-pump version for release next spring, he said.
"What we're trying to do with the home market is just encourage people to experience good draft beer," Younkle said. "If they're experiencing it at home, they're going to want to experience it at ballparks, at bars. That's good for the industry, it's good for us."
Ah, technology! It's what made America great. (And Milwaukee famous)
Fast Beer Tap Maker Markets Home Kits - Yahoo! News
(semi-official disclaimer - Adult beverages are to be enjoyed responsibly by persons of legal age.) heh.
