Gift from the Beer Gods or Bad Engineering?

SolidSqual

My friend qualified this invention as a gift from God . . . But, I believe its German engineering at its worse. This is just one more way to regulate consumption and kill my favorite dive bar.

http://www.homehighlight.org/entertainment-and-recreation/food-and-drink/100-dollar-beer-coaster-changes-the-nature-of-drinking.html

daboyz

Will it come with a breathalyzer to appease the "had way too much to drink" folk?

dcmeigs

Oh good grief. Why not just shove a tube down your nose and connect it to the keg.

Jstas

You know, unless they can make a robot look like a girl in her early to mid twenties with clothes on that are 3 sizes too small and a flirty personality that makes a guy feel like he is the most important schmuck in her world, robots will not replace bartenders and waitresses in bars. Hell, even Star Trek still had bartenders! I'd reference Star Wars too but that was a long long time ago in a galaxy far far away.



But I like the idea of a coaster that says "Yo! Buddy! Make with the beer! I can see the bottom of my glass!" Makes a sad face day turn into a happy face day.

steveinaz

I think it's a wonderful invention--no more flagging down a waitress.

PhantomOG

steveinaz wrote: »

I think it's a wonderful invention--no more flagging down a waitress.

Seriously... getting a drink in a crowded bar is a major PITA. Maybe that's why I don't go to crowded bars anymore.

Jstas

PhantomOG wrote: »

Seriously... getting a drink in a crowded bar is a major PITA. Maybe that's why I don't go to crowded bars anymore.

The only time I go to a crowded bar is when I know the bartender. My service doesn't suffer that way.

wingnut4772

It's a cool idea. I wonder if they will be rechargeable?

jwhitakr

Eh, I heard about this a while back. Very gimmicky if you ask me ... why not invent something like the auto-pour thingies that fast food places use for filling up drinks with 1 touch of a button? That would really make the beer delivery more efficient and get folks their drinks faster.

RuSsMaN

Just order an octuple Beam, neat, and be done with it.

Jstas

jwhitakr wrote: »

Eh, I heard about this a while back. Very gimmicky if you ask me ... why not invent something like the auto-pour thingies that fast food places use for filling up drinks with 1 touch of a button? That would really make the beer delivery more efficient and get folks their drinks faster.

They already have it, it's called a "WonderBar" or another company makes one called a "BarMeister". They are completely programmable. The problem is that it works fine with liquor but with carbonated stuff like beer, sending it down a line under pressure is bad. There isn't enough pressure in a keg to get the beer to travel all the way. So it has to be pumped. Pumps move stuff with pressure and when the beer comes out at the other end, it becomes nothing but foam. The foam in beer doesn't go away as easily as say Coke does because beer is loaded with protein whereas Coke is not. So beer holds a "head" longer.

jwhitakr

Jstas wrote: »

They already have it, it's called a "WonderBar" or another company makes one called a "BarMeister". They are completely programmable. The problem is that it works fine with liquor but with carbonated stuff like beer, sending it down a line under pressure is bad. There isn't enough pressure in a keg to get the beer to travel all the way. So it has to be pumped. Pumps move stuff with pressure and when the beer comes out at the other end, it becomes nothing but foam. The foam in beer doesn't go away as easily as say Coke does because beer is loaded with protein whereas Coke is not. So beer holds a "head" longer.

Well, there ya go. If I were a bar owner, I'd spend my money on the WonderBar (sounds a lot like WonderBra, coincidentally) or the BarMeister before spending a dime on this gimmicky thing.

Jstas

jwhitakr wrote: »

Well, there ya go. If I were a bar owner, I'd spend my money on the WonderBar (sounds a lot like WonderBra, coincidentally) or the BarMeister before spending a dime on this gimmicky thing.

Most bars I've been to have one. They just don't work so hot for beer or wine.

Most places use them for things like soda, fruit juices, seltzer water or plain water and prefer not to push booze of any kind through them because the cleaning process is rigorous and a common idea among them is that the thing shares a common nozzle and hose back to the distribution manifold and the residual booze from the previous drink made taints the next drink made and makes it taste "off". So alot of places don't use them to the fullest extent. The main benefit you get out of it isn't ease of work for the bartender but cost and quality control.

obieone

Beyond dumb.