Philips Perfect draft machine
Discussion
Anyone tried this one?
SEB Krups Beertender Draft Beer Machine
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Krups-Tireuse-Beer-VB-700...
Seems to be a decent price
SEB Krups Beertender Draft Beer Machine
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Krups-Tireuse-Beer-VB-700...
Seems to be a decent price
Melman Giraffe said:
Anyone tried this one?
SEB Krups Beertender Draft Beer Machine
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Krups-Tireuse-Beer-VB-700...
Seems to be a decent price
I've got this one for the 5l kegs:SEB Krups Beertender Draft Beer Machine
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Krups-Tireuse-Beer-VB-700...
Seems to be a decent price
https://www.klarstein.co.uk/Home-appliances/Drinks...
It was half the current price pre-lockdown!
The one you have linked certainly looks much nicer, but it only takes the kegs that are pre-pressurised. The Klarstein models can take separate C02 cartridges so you can use the kegs from small breweries or supermarkets as well the pressurised ones. It's a huge range.
Without a machine, the non-pressurised 5l kegs only really last a day before going flat, so these machines are great for making them last a bit longer. They are definitely still more hassle to use than the pressurised ones, and certainly more hassle than the PerfectDraft.
Melman Giraffe said:
that looks great. So i presume the kegs are generic and can be used on all machines?
This is what the 5l unpressurised ones look like:https://www.wildbeerco.com/browse/c-Mini-Kegs-51
They are compatible with the Klarstein machine I linked above and a lot of other similar machines with C02 adaptors in the lid.
The pressurised kegs look like this:
https://www.beerwulf.com/en-gb/mini-kegs?gclid=Cj0...
They have got the C02 built in to the top of the keg, so are compatible with all of the 5l machines.
It's worth noting that the 6l kegs for the PerfectDraft are totally different, and are only compatible with that machine.
PerfectDraft is the 'better' system in that it is easier to use and the beer lasts a full 30 days, but the 5l system has a much larger range and the kegs can be much cheaper, sometimes as little as £10. You can also just recycle the kegs, where as the PerfectDraft ones need to be sent back (£5 deposit).
Currently drinking Stella out of my PD I got in November last year, love it, thinking about getting a blade to suppliment it. Favourite keg I've had so far has been the Ocktoberfest version of Spaten, beautiful stuff, could have drank the entire keg in one night, was going down like water.
Despite now residing in the garage I noticed the temperature on my machine wasn’t getting down to even 5°C very often nowadays. Assumed dust was the problem, and boy was I right.
That’s over three years of accumulated crap. I’m actually amazed it was still cooling at all. This was despite me regularly vacuuming the rear. It really does need disassembly from time to time. Thankfully it’s only four screws.
On fixing that it was much better, but I then also added a thin thermal pad, the kind used on electronics to aid heat transfer, and now it cools much faster even than when it was new and is rock solid on 3°C, with the fan running much slower.
That’s over three years of accumulated crap. I’m actually amazed it was still cooling at all. This was despite me regularly vacuuming the rear. It really does need disassembly from time to time. Thankfully it’s only four screws.
On fixing that it was much better, but I then also added a thin thermal pad, the kind used on electronics to aid heat transfer, and now it cools much faster even than when it was new and is rock solid on 3°C, with the fan running much slower.
Bit of a revival here, but has anyone else's PD machine (for want of a better term) gone off?
I've had one for about 3 months, the first keg of Becks (from Beer Hawk) ran through fine, if getting a little flat towards the end of the keg - it tasted like Becks all the way down.
Next keg I got was Budweiser, it was alright and stayed a bit more lively than the Becks but when I ran the keg out and came to take the dispense tube out, it had a yeasty sort of build up between the metal trim and the rubber dispensing tube. I bought this keg from a local shop off the shelf.
The final keg was Becks Gold, I went to pull a glass this evening and noticed it was very fizzy, and not pouring smoothly, as if there was a restriction. Going by the Budweiser keg, I thought I'd check the dispense tube and it had the same sort of yeasty goo in the dispense tube. This keg came from the same local shop, but I used the new dispense tubes with each keg, and both tubes were sealed.
The Becks Gold still has 11 days on the counter, and the BBE is November so it's not like the keg is out of date, but after cleaning off the goo, and pulling through a couple of glasses, it still tastes off so the last half a keg will be going down the sink.
Is this just to be expected? I wipe down the nozzle after every pulled glass, but short of getting some sterilising tablets and running a solution through the tap, I'm running out of ideas. The temp stays at 3 degrees solidly, so I don't think it's the keg warming up and going off - it was so cold inside the machine that there was frost on the last couple of empties when it came time to change them.
I'll order my next keg from Beer Hawk to rule out contaminated kegs, but I'm at a loss otherwise. Any ideas PH?
I've had one for about 3 months, the first keg of Becks (from Beer Hawk) ran through fine, if getting a little flat towards the end of the keg - it tasted like Becks all the way down.
Next keg I got was Budweiser, it was alright and stayed a bit more lively than the Becks but when I ran the keg out and came to take the dispense tube out, it had a yeasty sort of build up between the metal trim and the rubber dispensing tube. I bought this keg from a local shop off the shelf.
The final keg was Becks Gold, I went to pull a glass this evening and noticed it was very fizzy, and not pouring smoothly, as if there was a restriction. Going by the Budweiser keg, I thought I'd check the dispense tube and it had the same sort of yeasty goo in the dispense tube. This keg came from the same local shop, but I used the new dispense tubes with each keg, and both tubes were sealed.
The Becks Gold still has 11 days on the counter, and the BBE is November so it's not like the keg is out of date, but after cleaning off the goo, and pulling through a couple of glasses, it still tastes off so the last half a keg will be going down the sink.
Is this just to be expected? I wipe down the nozzle after every pulled glass, but short of getting some sterilising tablets and running a solution through the tap, I'm running out of ideas. The temp stays at 3 degrees solidly, so I don't think it's the keg warming up and going off - it was so cold inside the machine that there was frost on the last couple of empties when it came time to change them.
I'll order my next keg from Beer Hawk to rule out contaminated kegs, but I'm at a loss otherwise. Any ideas PH?
Nope, never had a keg that felt like it was going off. Even on the rare occasions one manages to last 15+ days 
, the worst that happens in the last few days of the month is that the beer gets a little tired, but never off as such.
Given that all the hardware that interfaces the actual beer is pretty much changed with every keg, I'm not sure what could be going on. I rinse through the dispenser thoroughly and use a small conical brush to make sure there's no gunk left in the bottom of the metal tube.
, the worst that happens in the last few days of the month is that the beer gets a little tired, but never off as such.Given that all the hardware that interfaces the actual beer is pretty much changed with every keg, I'm not sure what could be going on. I rinse through the dispenser thoroughly and use a small conical brush to make sure there's no gunk left in the bottom of the metal tube.
loudlashadjuster said:
Despite now residing in the garage I noticed the temperature on my machine wasn’t getting down to even 5°C very often nowadays. Assumed dust was the problem, and boy was I right.
That’s over three years of accumulated crap. I’m actually amazed it was still cooling at all. This was despite me regularly vacuuming the rear. It really does need disassembly from time to time. Thankfully it’s only four screws.
On fixing that it was much better, but I then also added a thin thermal pad, the kind used on electronics to aid heat transfer, and now it cools much faster even than when it was new and is rock solid on 3°C, with the fan running much slower.
Fantastic. Mines was hovering about 6c, so think i need a strip & clean. That’s over three years of accumulated crap. I’m actually amazed it was still cooling at all. This was despite me regularly vacuuming the rear. It really does need disassembly from time to time. Thankfully it’s only four screws.
On fixing that it was much better, but I then also added a thin thermal pad, the kind used on electronics to aid heat transfer, and now it cools much faster even than when it was new and is rock solid on 3°C, with the fan running much slower.
Mr Happy said:
Is this just to be expected? I wipe down the nozzle after every pulled glass, but short of getting some sterilising tablets and running a solution through the tap, I'm running out of ideas. The temp stays at 3 degrees solidly, so I don't think it's the keg warming up and going off - it was so cold inside the machine that there was frost on the last couple of empties when it came time to change them.
I'll order my next keg from Beer Hawk to rule out contaminated kegs, but I'm at a loss otherwise. Any ideas PH?
I've never noticed this myself, but Ido tend to go through a keg in two weeks or so.I'll order my next keg from Beer Hawk to rule out contaminated kegs, but I'm at a loss otherwise. Any ideas PH?
Whereabouts in the dispense tube is the gunk building up? If it is right at the tap end, it it possible that the tap ever touches the beer in the glass when pouring?
kingston12 said:
I've never noticed this myself, but Ido tend to go through a keg in two weeks or so.
Whereabouts in the dispense tube is the gunk building up? If it is right at the tap end, it it possible that the tap ever touches the beer in the glass when pouring?
It's generally at the tap end, it seems to track up between the dispense tube and the metal spout finisher trim.Whereabouts in the dispense tube is the gunk building up? If it is right at the tap end, it it possible that the tap ever touches the beer in the glass when pouring?
I do the pub pour, holding the glass at a 45 degree angle and letting it fill. It does sometimes touch the head of the beer but I never submerge the tap end.
loudlashadjuster said:
Nope, never had a keg that felt like it was going off. Even on the rare occasions one manages to last 15+ days , the worst that happens in the last few days of the month is that the beer gets a little tired, but never off as such.
Given that all the hardware that interfaces the actual beer is pretty much changed with every keg, I'm not sure what could be going on. I rinse through the dispenser thoroughly and use a small conical brush to make sure there's no gunk left in the bottom of the metal tube.
I give the metal finisher trim a quick wipe over and pull a piece of kitchen towel through it, I'm wondering if that isn't enough since there's been something organic in there, and it needs dropping into boiling water for a few mins to properly kill off anything that's resident. I'm still tempted to grab some homebrew sterilising tablets and let it sit in a dissolved solution of that overnight., the worst that happens in the last few days of the month is that the beer gets a little tired, but never off as such.Given that all the hardware that interfaces the actual beer is pretty much changed with every keg, I'm not sure what could be going on. I rinse through the dispenser thoroughly and use a small conical brush to make sure there's no gunk left in the bottom of the metal tube.
I also rinse through the tap before I put the new dispense tube in, but again - I wonder if I'm not being as rigorous as I should be with this.
ComStrike said:
Same.
Kegs usually all good. Are you replacing the spout with every keg ? Washing the dispenser out as well ? Sometime i give the metal spout a clean with pipe cleaner just incase there are any remnants there.
PD owner for 5 years here.
Yeah, new dispense spout every time, as above tho I wonder if I'm not being as rigorous cleaning the thing out as I should be, especially after there's been something there already.Kegs usually all good. Are you replacing the spout with every keg ? Washing the dispenser out as well ? Sometime i give the metal spout a clean with pipe cleaner just incase there are any remnants there.
PD owner for 5 years here.
I'll get a new keg on order with Beer Hawk next week, I fancy trying the Jupiler so this is the perfect excuse! Cheers all
Edited by Mr Happy on Friday 27th August 13:13
Yeah, even if you don’t touch the glass when pouring and use a new spout with every keg, the fact that the rubber piece sits slightly higher than the metal nozzle means there’s always going to be some beer collecting and festering there.
Add in a bit of capillary action and you probably have 1-2cm of old beer stuck round the inside of the spout when you go to change.
Here’s what I use. A vigorous plunging and copious amounts of rinsing and I’ve never had a problem.
Add in a bit of capillary action and you probably have 1-2cm of old beer stuck round the inside of the spout when you go to change.
Here’s what I use. A vigorous plunging and copious amounts of rinsing and I’ve never had a problem.
loudlashadjuster said:
Yeah, even if you don’t touch the glass when pouring and use a new spout with every keg, the fact that the rubber piece sits slightly higher than the metal nozzle means there’s always going to be some beer collecting and festering there.
Add in a bit of capillary action and you probably have 1-2cm of old beer stuck round the inside of the spout when you go to change.
Here’s what I use. A vigorous plunging and copious amounts of rinsing and I’ve never had a problem.
I think that's it, I'm gonna grab some sterilising tablets on the weekend, and I'm sure I've seen small conical brushes like that in the homebrew section of places like Wilkos, so I'll see if I can get my hands on one of them at the same time and give it the once-over before the next keg arrives!Add in a bit of capillary action and you probably have 1-2cm of old beer stuck round the inside of the spout when you go to change.
Here’s what I use. A vigorous plunging and copious amounts of rinsing and I’ve never had a problem.
Another good little bit of maintenance/tweaking done.
Disassembled the tap head and lubricated the moving parts with a couple of squirts of PTFE, including right in the gaps of the bits that you can’t easily access.
Pouring action is now much smoother, and just resetting the springs etc. always seems to result in a much better pour, like the choke doesn’t fully open after a while, especially if the handle had been released and allowed to spring back itself (thanks, children!).
Disassembled the tap head and lubricated the moving parts with a couple of squirts of PTFE, including right in the gaps of the bits that you can’t easily access.
Pouring action is now much smoother, and just resetting the springs etc. always seems to result in a much better pour, like the choke doesn’t fully open after a while, especially if the handle had been released and allowed to spring back itself (thanks, children!).
loudlashadjuster said:
Add in a bit of capillary action and you probably have 1-2cm of old beer stuck round the inside of the spout when you go to change.
I've gone into many a pub where despite regular line cleaning there has still been yeast build up in non-removable nozzles as it occurs more quickly due to the higher temps at the unrefrigerated dispensing end.Gassing Station | Food, Drink & Restaurants | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff