Perfect Draft

At some point during lockdown, large numbers of people collectively decided they wanted pub pints at home badly enough to install miniature keg systems in their kitchens. PerfectDraft arrived perfectly timed for that moment and somehow managed to survive beyond it.

Developed through a partnership involving Philips and AB InBev, the system chills six-litre kegs to pub temperature and pours draught beer at home with surprisingly convincing results. The appeal is fairly obvious after the first properly cold pint poured into a clean glass. Bottles and cans are excellent, but draught beer still hits differently.

The range of compatible beers has expanded enormously over the years too. Belgian classics, German wheat beers, mainstream lagers, craft IPAs and the occasional stout all appear in keg format now. That variety matters because nobody wants to explain to guests they spent several hundred pounds on a machine that only pours one lager.

There is admittedly something faintly ridiculous about dedicating this much counter space to beer technology. The machine looks slightly like a futuristic breadmaker designed by somebody who takes football very seriously. Yet once installed, people become oddly attached to them.

The interesting thing is that PerfectDraft sits somewhere between convenience product and genuine beer enthusiasm. It appeals equally to lager drinkers wanting pub-style pours at home and beer obsessives carefully rotating kegs of Belgian tripel like they are managing a tiny bar in their spare room.