Cheers for plastic kegs

● It is almost a barman’s dream — a keg that can monitor beer levels and alert the brewery when stocks are low. Not only that, but the keg can also keep beer fresher for longer. Pity it just can’t change itself yet.

Faced with stagnating sales of mainstream beer, and drinkers switching to wines and spirits, brewers have had to innovate.

Danish brewer Carlsberg is introducing the smart beer keg, allowing staff to monitor keg levels on a tablet. The data will help both the brewer and the outlets predict which beer will be in demand at certain times of day or year.

“This allows us to make sure the right product is available at the right place at the right time,” said Nancy Cruickshank, who heads digital transformation at Carlsberg.

The smart kegs are made of PET, a type of plastic, rather than the traditional steel.

Carlsberg’s keg is being rolled out in Western Europe and some Chinese cities, and the digital system around the keg has been tested in Berlin. It will be launched in Copenhagen, Denmark; Malmo, Sweden; and Milan, Italy, next month.

Carlsberg is not the only brewer with a PET plastic keg. AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer, offers some brands in “PureDraught” kegs, and Heineken has a variety of beers in its “Blade” and “BrewLock” systems.

The lighter plastic keg uses compressed air to push out the beer rather than CO2, which keeps it fresh for up to 30 days compared to less than a week with the old steel.

Carlsberg says this enables bars to try out some of the lesser-known beers because they don’t run the risk of the beer going flat.

It also helps brewers in their drive to boost margins, with sales of more premium brews, including craft, and gives drinkers the chance to sample them as draught rather than just in bottles.

Carlsberg said that though the kegs are single-use plastic, it is working on a plan to collect and recycle them.