The Heineken Mini-Keg

stevengregory

stevengregory

Joined
Aug 20, 2006
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Have any of you guys & gals seen the commercial on TV, yet for the Heineken Mini-Keg? Guy walks up to an apartment door (and it's obvious a party's going on inside) with his arms loaded with stuff and can't open the door to go in 'cause he's all loaded up. Luckily some dude shows up just then and "releives" him of some of his burden (the mini-keg he's carrying) and walks into the party with it. He's immediately a big hit because he's got this little keg of beer. The rat...

Well, forward to real life, here. A friend of mine is having a bon-fire/barbeque at his house last night and invites me and the wife to come. I ask what can we bring and he says just bring some beer. So, I get one of those mini-kegs, put it in a tub of ice and take it with me to the party.

I've got to say that we were all really impressed with that little system. The tap was easy to install; just two pieces to assemble on the top of the keg. Then, there's a little "flipper" that you pull over to initiate the flow of beer from the keg. It works really well. From the first pull till the end of the keg the beer flowed from the spout and into your cup with just a touch of foam "head" at the top. The taste was great, really fresh and just enough carbonation to give that zesty beer sensation going down your throat. We all loved it.

Heineken says that the beer will stay fresh for up to a month after being tapped. There's a CO2 system that pushes the beer up from the bottom of the keg, so the brew never really gets air contact after it's tapped. My keg cost me $20 for 5Liters. I tried to figure this out several ways and it seems to me that the cost is about the same for the keg as for buying the equivalent amount in bottles. Maybe even a bit more, but the keg was a pile of fun to use and the beer, in my opinion, was better than it usually is from a bottle or can. Neat little system. Thumbs up! I'll buy more:)

Thought I'd add a couple of pics...
 
Heineken has really good marketing with their mini-Keg. I have used those mini-kegs and others in past with good satisfaction. The mini-kegs for me are only available for European beers so, you have a really good tasting beer to start with. The dispensing systems on them all work pretty much the same. I like being able to top off a half empty glass or fill a small one for someone who isn't a big beer drinker. The size is just right for the refrigerator since they are about the size of a one gallon milk jug.

Pricing varies a lot. In the past couple of years, I have gotten some as cheap as $7 (Heineken) with most running $14 to $17. I never had a problem with any of them going flat but, I typically bought them for 3 day weekends so, 5L of beer really wasn't enough that I worried about it going flat before I drank it all. If I was down to the last liter and let it sit for a week, it wouldn't be completely flat but it would loose some carbonization.

For convenience, highly recommended!
For cost, a mixed review because "bulk" quantities should be cheaper (price the mini-keg against a pony or full keg ;)) though a larger keg isn't portable.
 
When I saw that I wanted to get one as well. Seems like a nice change and I could get one and leave it tapped in the refridge. I agree that its useful for people who wont finish a bottle, it wont be a waste of beer. Now to find a place that has em....
 
Sid Post said:
Pricing varies a lot. In the past couple of years, I have gotten some as cheap as $7 (Heineken) with most running $14 to $17. For convenience, highly recommended!
For cost, a mixed review because "bulk" quantities should be cheaper (price the mini-keg against a pony or full keg ;)) though a larger keg isn't portable.
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I guess they're not available everywhere, yet, but will be very soon. Maybe the higher price tag on mine reflects the limited availability in my region, so far. I only ever saw them at one place. But, $14-$17 sounds more reasonable for the amount of brew you're getting. I agree with you on convenience, plus the novelty factor is fun. Maybe the price will come down a bit as supplies increase around here.
 
ziptrickhead said:
When I saw that I wanted to get one as well. Seems like a nice change and I could get one and leave it tapped in the refridge. I agree that its useful for people who wont finish a bottle, it wont be a waste of beer. Now to find a place that has em....
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Here in southern Arizona, they are available at every liquor store, the Super K-Mart, and most large grocery stores. They were on sale recently for $17.99 at K-Mart which I thought was a ripoff but, the liquor stores and grocery stores seem to sell then at $19.99 uniformly. If they go on sale for the 4th of July, I might pick up a few. 8 to 12 ounces of beer seems to go well with dinner after work and, the import beers I buy in the bottle are 25.4 ounces typically though, I have found some that are 16 ounces each at the same price as their larger cousins ... :(

For people that haven't tried very many European beers, those 1/2L and 25.4 ounce bottles are a good way to sample the different flavors. Like wine, beer has a lot of different tastes and you will like some and hate others so, buy the small bottle before you buy the 5L keg. ;)

I typically like a heavier German beer with a "meat and potatoes" dinner but, if I'm eating light that Pilsner Urquell from Checkslovakia sure is nice.
 
Just finished one with the in-laws at the cottage over the weekend. Great system, great beer.

Didn't last very long though :)

Guy
 
I made a nice mini-forge out of mine after we drank it. Just right to heat with a propane torch.
 
5 liters is only 10 cans, if you were in for a heavy session you would need 1 1/2 or 2 per person!

Obviousley made for the lightweight less alcohol tolerant American market :)
 
The grocery stores sell a few brands of mini-kegs around here, including Heineken. I've been curious about trying one and now I'll probably go ahead. I sometimes drink Heineken in a can, which is great ice cold out of a cooler of ice, but I never drink Heineken from the bottle. In all my years of tasting beer I have seldom had a Heineken (or most other beers in a green or clear bottle for that matter) that wasn't undrinkable due to being light-struck.
 
bladefixation2 said:
5 liters is only 10 cans, if you were in for a heavy session you would need 1 1/2 or 2 per person!

Obviousley made for the lightweight less alcohol tolerant American market :)
Click to expand...

Oh, I guess you think that all American beers are like that watered swill we serve to Europeans and other sissies who are accustomed to drinking smalls. Some day we'll have to go round to a local brew pub for a real taste of American beer. We'll bring a wheelbarrow for your ride home. :p
 
mycroftt said:
....I sometimes drink Heineken in a can, which is great ice cold out of a cooler of ice, but I never drink Heineken from the bottle. In all my years of tasting beer I have seldom had a Heineken (or most other beers in a green or clear bottle for that matter) that wasn't undrinkable due to being light-struck.
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It is good out of the can. Heineken is good from a bottle only if you get the 12 pack with the full wrap around case, which protects it from light exposure. Hate that skunky light exposed beer flavor. It's amazing that it took so many years for the European beer importers to fix that problem.
 
mycroftt said:
Oh, I guess you think that all American beers are like that watered swill we serve to Europeans and other sissies who are accustomed to drinking smalls. Some day we'll have to go round to a local brew pub for a real taste of American beer. We'll bring a wheelbarrow for your ride home. :p
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:)
We hear there is some excellent beer available in America, but it does appear to be something of a niche market?
Fizzy, lager-style pop is in the ascendancy here too. :(
English bottled beer has been traditionally put in dark brown, near opaque, glass.
Looking forward to the wheelbarrow ride, but could you put a cushion in it please?

Andy
 
A.W.U.K. said:
:)
We hear there is some excellent beer available in America, but it does appear to be something of a niche market?
Fizzy, lager-style pop is in the ascendancy here too. :(
English bottled beer has been traditionally put in dark brown, near opaque, glass.
Looking forward to the wheelbarrow ride, but could you put a cushion in it please?

Andy
Click to expand...

Yes, high-quality traditional brews are readily available but, by far, the market is dominated by the watery, flavorless, mass-produced rice-brewed beers produced by Budweiser, Millers, and Coors breweries. Some true beer lovers refer to that stuff as Budmilloors, or as "lawnmower beer" because it is best suited for a quick quaff after building up a good sweat mowing the lawn on a hot summer day. Actually, it can be quite refreshing in that circumstance, not unlike some of the small beers or even a Kolsch.

Here is a link to a hilarious article about what the author calls The Beer Paradox which describes today's sad situation of the bigger, and manlier, beers being quaffed by effete urban leather-elbow-patched-LL-Bean-sweater-wearing metrosexuals while the manly men choke down the fizzy Budmilloors soda-pop beer that is more suitable for underaged girls. Enjoy.

Buuuurrpp!
 
mycroftt said:
Yes, high-quality traditional brews are readily available but, by far, the market is dominated by the watery, flavorless, mass-produced rice-brewed beers produced by Budweiser, Millers, and Coors breweries. Some true beer lovers refer to that stuff as Budmilloors, or as "lawnmower beer" because it is best suited for a quick quaff after building up a good sweat mowing the lawn on a hot summer day. Actually, it can be quite refreshing in that circumstance, not unlike some of the small beers or even a Kolsch.

Here is a link to a hilarious article about what the author calls The Beer Paradox which describes today's sad situation of the bigger, and manlier, beers being quaffed by effete urban leather-elbow-patched-LL-Bean-sweater-wearing metrosexuals while the manly men choke down the fizzy Budmilloors soda-pop beer that is more suitable for underaged girls. Enjoy.

Buuuurrpp!
Click to expand...

The cops don't call it "barleypop" for nothing. The link was funny and informative, too. I didn't know that bootleggers started the watered down beer trend.
 
Thanks for the article mycroftt, I enjoyed it!

Beer got weaker here during the First World War, it was reduced from around 6% to around 4% to improve the armaments workers timekeeping.

The ascendancy of lager began in the 1970's when brewers found it was cheaper to brew than bitter but they could charge more money for it by giving it Scandinavian/Germanic names, thereby creating an entirely spurious link with the quality products of those regions.

Andy
 
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