Fact is, many bars would love you to buy those expensive, rarely-sold bottles of exotic beers they keep around. Problem is, getting a patron to shell out good money for something that could potentially taste like crap requires more persuasion skills than most bartenders can muster. The solution? Let the customers sample the beer.
Here’s another problem: when you sample a bottle and refuse to buy it, the bar loses money. If they did it all the time, they’ll be pissing money night in and night out. For Melbourne-based watering hole Biero, the real solution came in the form of the BeerVault, a bar installation that showcases special brews and gives customers a chance to sample them without wasting an entire bottle.
Devised by Australian design firm Jones Chijoff, the setup involves dumping bottled craft beers into UV-filtering clear acrylic canisters that are screwed onto a tap. While there, the beer is subjected to the exact same pressure it was under while in its original bottle, allowing the brew to retain its freshness, as if it was never opened.
In Biero, the canisters are suspended above the bar, with accompanying backlighting to help them grab attention. A chiller is also integrated into each one, so the beer is served cold. When a customer wants to sample one of the bar’s boutique beers, the bartender can simply draw a small amount from the Beervault’s tap. If they don’t like it, the bar doesn’t waste an entire bottle and the customer doesn’t end up having to pay for a drink they’d rather spit out. Win-win.
Jones Chijoff is reportedly in the process of readying the BeerVault for wider distribution.
[Jones Chijoff via Springwise]