TOPIC:

I was in the new o2 arena on Friday night and noted they use a very handy method to serve the beer. It was similar to the way some of us bottle our beer from a bottling bucket with the long rod that goes into the bottle and then allows the beer to flow when a valve is pressed against the bottom of the bottle.

This method was similar. it consisted of a thick rod with a metal ball bearing at the bottom. The rod was placed inside the glass and the bearing pressed against the base of the glass, and hey presto a full pint in around 3 seconds. It was quite impressive really with minimal foaming and waste. It suited the Carlsberg perfectly, but Guinness was served the same way.... I heard few complaints.

Is this the most hygeinic way to dispense beer, is there something to stop users from handling the rod too far down.
If this works well, busy bars could benefit by fixing the rod and simply pushing a glass against it.

Don't suppose you got any pictures of the device in action ?

'fraid not. It was nifty. The beer snob in me says it is well suited to macro beer, but perhaps craft beer deserves better treatment.