Philips Perfect draft machine
Discussion
I inadvertently bought a PerfectDraft keg at Christmas before realising it needed a €200 dispenser (oops!). Rather than take it back for a refund though I waited until I could pick one up for a decent price, which I finally managed last week.
That keg of Leffe is just about done now and it really is a cracking system. Much smoother than bottled beer and the ability to dispense only what you need is great. Tap is impressively non-drip too, bit of witchcraft going on here!
It is a bit noisier than I'd hoped though, it's sitting in the kitchen and you can definitely hear it at all times. It will eventually be sited in a bar area though and that is closer to the main living room area (it's all open plan) so I'm slightly concerned that it'll be too noisy there. I suppose I could mount it under the bar instead of on top, ventilation permitting.
OK, a light dusting of man maths needs to be employed to fully justify it, but at the prices here it can actually work out fractionally cheaper than bottles if you buy from the right place at the right time. Most supermarkets here carry at least 6 or 7 types of keg, and many have them pre-chilled too which helps.
Looking forward to not having to recycle as many bottles!
That keg of Leffe is just about done now and it really is a cracking system. Much smoother than bottled beer and the ability to dispense only what you need is great. Tap is impressively non-drip too, bit of witchcraft going on here!
It is a bit noisier than I'd hoped though, it's sitting in the kitchen and you can definitely hear it at all times. It will eventually be sited in a bar area though and that is closer to the main living room area (it's all open plan) so I'm slightly concerned that it'll be too noisy there. I suppose I could mount it under the bar instead of on top, ventilation permitting.
OK, a light dusting of man maths needs to be employed to fully justify it, but at the prices here it can actually work out fractionally cheaper than bottles if you buy from the right place at the right time. Most supermarkets here carry at least 6 or 7 types of keg, and many have them pre-chilled too which helps.
Looking forward to not having to recycle as many bottles!
loudlashadjuster said:
I inadvertently bought a PerfectDraft keg at Christmas before realising it needed a €200 dispenser (oops!). Rather than take it back for a refund though I waited until I could pick one up for a decent price, which I finally managed last week.
That keg of Leffe is just about done now and it really is a cracking system. Much smoother than bottled beer and the ability to dispense only what you need is great. Tap is impressively non-drip too, bit of witchcraft going on here!
It is a bit noisier than I'd hoped though, it's sitting in the kitchen and you can definitely hear it at all times. It will eventually be sited in a bar area though and that is closer to the main living room area (it's all open plan) so I'm slightly concerned that it'll be too noisy there. I suppose I could mount it under the bar instead of on top, ventilation permitting.
OK, a light dusting of man maths needs to be employed to fully justify it, but at the prices here it can actually work out fractionally cheaper than bottles if you buy from the right place at the right time. Most supermarkets here carry at least 6 or 7 types of keg, and many have them pre-chilled too which helps.
Looking forward to not having to recycle as many bottles!
I recently bought mine back into use with a keg of Leffe as well. When I first got it, it was a lot more expensive to buy the kegs than bottles. That came down with a couple of continental suppliers who would ship here relatively cheaply, but now there are UK suppliers as well.That keg of Leffe is just about done now and it really is a cracking system. Much smoother than bottled beer and the ability to dispense only what you need is great. Tap is impressively non-drip too, bit of witchcraft going on here!
It is a bit noisier than I'd hoped though, it's sitting in the kitchen and you can definitely hear it at all times. It will eventually be sited in a bar area though and that is closer to the main living room area (it's all open plan) so I'm slightly concerned that it'll be too noisy there. I suppose I could mount it under the bar instead of on top, ventilation permitting.
OK, a light dusting of man maths needs to be employed to fully justify it, but at the prices here it can actually work out fractionally cheaper than bottles if you buy from the right place at the right time. Most supermarkets here carry at least 6 or 7 types of keg, and many have them pre-chilled too which helps.
Looking forward to not having to recycle as many bottles!
I tend to pay £24 for a keg which is cheaper than buying in bottles. You can often buy short date kegs for less than that as well.
The machine can be a little noisy, and it is worth giving it plenty of clearance from the back wall. When I turned mine on the other day it wouldn't chill down to below 5C and was making more noise than usual. I moved it so it was about 30cm from the rear wall and it quickly chilled down to 3C and got a bit quieter.
kingston12 said:
I recently bought mine back into use with a keg of Leffe as well. When I first got it, it was a lot more expensive to buy the kegs than bottles. That came down with a couple of continental suppliers who would ship here relatively cheaply, but now there are UK suppliers as well.
I tend to pay £24 for a keg which is cheaper than buying in bottles. You can often buy short date kegs for less than that as well.
The machine can be a little noisy, and it is worth giving it plenty of clearance from the back wall. When I turned mine on the other day it wouldn't chill down to below 5C and was making more noise than usual. I moved it so it was about 30cm from the rear wall and it quickly chilled down to 3C and got a bit quieter.
Yeah, unfortunately it has to sit in a pretty enclosed space at the moment. I would have expected it to cycle but it doesn't seem to, maybe due to the lack of ventilation. It does stay at 3C though no problem. I have the HD3620.I tend to pay £24 for a keg which is cheaper than buying in bottles. You can often buy short date kegs for less than that as well.
The machine can be a little noisy, and it is worth giving it plenty of clearance from the back wall. When I turned mine on the other day it wouldn't chill down to below 5C and was making more noise than usual. I moved it so it was about 30cm from the rear wall and it quickly chilled down to 3C and got a bit quieter.
Thankfully the basic lagers are only about €17-18 here if you buy from the right places, the premium ones like Leffe or Diekirch Grand Cru (which I would normally buy in bottles anyway) are a Euro or so more.
loudlashadjuster said:
Yeah, unfortunately it has to sit in a pretty enclosed space at the moment. I would have expected it to cycle but it doesn't seem to, maybe due to the lack of ventilation. It does stay at 3C though no problem. I have the HD3620.
It might be that. I have got the HD3620 as well and It definitely cycles. Sometimes I go into the kitchen where it is kept and I can here the hum, sometimes it is virtually silent. It sounds as though you haven't got it as enclosed as I did as it is able to get down to 3C, but a bit more space might help with the noise level.
loudlashadjuster said:
Thankfully the basic lagers are only about €17-18 here if you buy from the right places, the premium ones like Leffe or Diekirch Grand Cru (which I would normally buy in bottles anyway) are a Euro or so more.
If you are in Europe, the prices work out great, although I suppose that this has to be offset against the fact that bottled beer is cheaper than the UK as well!I used to buy from Belgium and France and it could be quite reasonable even though I had to pay postage and couldn't get the €5 deposit back for returning the empty keg!
Harpoon said:
How long does a keg keep for once opened?
They're apparently good for 30 days once tapped. Can't confirm as the longest I've managed is about 11 days before needing to change one 
I also didn't realise there was a €5 deposit on each keg (!) so it's working out massively cheaper than bottles now.
For instance, the beer I buy was recently down to €17.90, I had an additional 20% off voucher so bought six kegs. Net cost about €86 for the equivalent of 108 330ml bottles, about €0.80 each!
Edited by loudlashadjuster on Wednesday 17th June 11:02
Beer lasts six months from production, but obviously a shop's turnover might affect how long you'll get form the ones they have in stock. I always check the dates and pick the ones with the longest left. If you're buying online from Beerhawk etc. I guess you've got no choice, but they shouldn't be in the business of selling stuff with only 1-2 months left. Once tapped it's a nominal 30 days and I have occasionally gone close to this and the beer is still perfectly fine.
I generally buy them when they're on offer, usually 6 or 8 at a time. and keep them in the garage, with one or two in a fridge so they're pre-chilled. I think the closest I've gotten to the use before date is about two months, never really noticed any difference in those though.
The tap head is a bit fragile and I had a friend who let it go instead of moving it back vertical. It 'pinged' back and then it would then always produce far too much foam. I stripped it down and reassembled and it's been better since. There is a plastic slide that got moved past its end stop, meaning the 'pinch' was never fully retracted and that caused it.
I generally buy them when they're on offer, usually 6 or 8 at a time. and keep them in the garage, with one or two in a fridge so they're pre-chilled. I think the closest I've gotten to the use before date is about two months, never really noticed any difference in those though.
The tap head is a bit fragile and I had a friend who let it go instead of moving it back vertical. It 'pinged' back and then it would then always produce far too much foam. I stripped it down and reassembled and it's been better since. There is a plastic slide that got moved past its end stop, meaning the 'pinch' was never fully retracted and that caused it.
Edited by loudlashadjuster on Wednesday 17th June 11:07
dom9 said:
Hi guys - is everyone still using their PD?
My buddy is looking to get one and I remember I saw this thread on here.
He was wondering how the beer keeps? I want to say I read on here that kegs have quite a short use by?
Any updates from users? Thanks!
Mines had some good use since the lockdown!My buddy is looking to get one and I remember I saw this thread on here.
He was wondering how the beer keeps? I want to say I read on here that kegs have quite a short use by?
Any updates from users? Thanks!
The kegs last anything up to six months sealed (use by date on keg), with a maximum of 30 days once opened.
I’ve used kegs a few months out of date and they’ve been fine, but I wouldn’t do that with the more hoppy beers.
I’ve never had one that has lasted as long as 30 days after opening, but they’ve been fine after two weeks in the machine!
Still love mine. I tend to put a keg in a month to restrict my beer intake. Its occasionally run over the 30 days and the beer is still ok.
I've even used a couple of kegs that have gone over their date aswell by a month or so and they were fine.
I have noticed a sharp rise in the keg prices recently though. Its great beer that it pours, but there will come a point its not worth the extra over cans/bottles for me
I've even used a couple of kegs that have gone over their date aswell by a month or so and they were fine.
I have noticed a sharp rise in the keg prices recently though. Its great beer that it pours, but there will come a point its not worth the extra over cans/bottles for me
Sy1441 said:
Had a Sub for a while and looked at the perfect draft but as there was deals on I went with The Blade. It's some machine.
Think I paid £480 with 4x 8L kegs and 24 glasses.
It’s great. I added one of those at the start of lockdown, so I could have Moretti on that and IPAs on the perfect draft. I’m not sure I’ll be able to justify both when the pubs reopen though!Think I paid £480 with 4x 8L kegs and 24 glasses.
kingston12 said:
It’s great. I added one of those at the start of lockdown, so I could have Moretti on that and IPAs on the perfect draft. I’m not sure I’ll be able to justify both when the pubs reopen though!
Oddly I hadn't been drinking much lager of recent times apart from when in the pub, usually buy weird and wonderful craft beers in the house but this hits the spot.My local shop also stocks the kegs and even buys ones in from Europe, I've got Zipfer in the fridge ready for the weekend.
Sy1441 said:
kingston12 said:
It’s great. I added one of those at the start of lockdown, so I could have Moretti on that and IPAs on the perfect draft. I’m not sure I’ll be able to justify both when the pubs reopen though!
Oddly I hadn't been drinking much lager of recent times apart from when in the pub, usually buy weird and wonderful craft beers in the house but this hits the spot.My local shop also stocks the kegs and even buys ones in from Europe, I've got Zipfer in the fridge ready for the weekend.
I’ve only tried the Moretti and the Heineken so far and I didn’t really like the latter. No shops like that with a full range around here unfortunately!
justin220 said:
Also interested in the Blade feedback..
Im just not sure I can get over it's looks.
Work of artIm just not sure I can get over it's looks.
Being a massive lager fan, i know i could easily keep up with a "pub" keg but think the cooler setup looks a bit complicated for my needs plus i need to keep SWMBO happy as well.
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