keg

The Pedal Pub brings the bar home with you

Bars can be crowded, noisy places that do little to release tension after a long work week. That's not to say these qualities are particularly undesirable; sometimes the frenetic, wild activity is exactly what is desired.

But not always. That's why we have beer fridges and kegorators for the home. In fact, the home bar has achieved such a level that we have motorized cocktail shakers and mixed drink makers that require no more than a spin of a dial.

However, as well stocked and outfitted as a home bar may be, there is one thing it most definitely does not usually come with: a steering wheel.… Read more

Minikeg redefines 'counter-culture'

Though Heineken's recently developed miniature keg (the DraughtKeg) is a great idea, I'm glad that someone figured out that it needed a more portable refrigeration system. After all, what good is a portable keg if you can't carry it far from the very unportable standard refrigerator?

As a solution, Krups and Heineken have partnered up to deliver us the BeerTender, a counter-friendly miniature version of the kegerator. For those of you who wonder what that is, a kegerator is a full-size refrigerator specifically designed to hold a keg, or barrel of beer. The tap, regulator, and CO2 … Read more

Your own private kegger for St. Paddy's Day

So much for our trend-spotting skills. We thought for sure that, where beer dispensing is concerned, the next big thing would be built-in taps, whether they be for the fridge or the game console. Instead, what seems to be taking hold is the portable version, we assume for reasons of practicality.

Case in point (so to speak): The Heineken "BeerTender," which Gizmodo says it wrote about nearly four years ago, at long last is arriving on U.S. shores. The attractive dispenser accommodates a 5-liter mini-keg, though the long delay means it'll face some stiff competition. Even … Read more

UFO speakers land in U.K.

As they continue to morph into music devices, phone makers have made significant strides in portable speakers over the last year. But all too often they're still too big to carry around easily, with even the most compact models often larger than the phone itself. At the other end of the scale, some of the smallest versions look like some kind of makeshift project from a 7th grade electronics class.

Miidio tries to address both issues on the U.K. market with its line of ultra-compact speakers, which have a standard 3.5-millimeter plug so they can be used … Read more

Gadgettes 70: The Who Spiked the Eggnog? Episode

Have a desktop kegger all to yourself

To show we're not snobs when it comes to libations, the martini aficionados at Crave wanted to give equal time to the beer drinkers among us.

So even though we've already highlighted such hops-friendly items as the HomePub, Gamerator, and MyFridge keg cooler recently, we'll also mention Avanti's "Mini Pub Mini Beer Keg Dispenser." It's an appliance that's suitable for the everyday consumer and connoisseur alike--not only does it accommodate a generous 5-liter mini-keg for entertaining (or just solo enjoyment), but Techie Diva says temperature can be regulated by its digital control.… Read more

A keg cooler for survivalists

If some digital wine coolers are the subject of dubious distinction, perhaps their manufacturers should expand their product lines. Take Waeco, for instance. Not only does it cater to beverages of the grape, but it pays homage to hops and barley as well.

Its "MyFridge" line includes a keg cooler that "utilizes the century-old, well-proven principle of traditional broaching instead of pumping the beer needlessly through hoses inside the cooler." The appliance uses a "simple aeration mechanism" that keeps its precious contents at optimum temperatures while providing a more sanitary way to dispense it, … Read more

Raise a toast to this 'Keg'

It may be called "Media Keg," but don't mistake this for another St. Paddy's Day accessory. (We already have that covered elsewhere.)

In fact, the name is all the more curious because this Kenwood media player is anything but keg-like, weighing only 2.8 ounces--making it "the world's smallest HDD-based MP3 player," according to the company. Despite its diminutive frame, Shiny Shiny says, the device houses a 10GB hard drive, sports a 1.5-inch screen and claims a battery life of up to 24 hours.

If all that is true, even at $399 … Read more

Das ist ein Wunderbar!

(NOTE: Yes, I am aware that this post's headline probably makes no sense.)

By now, it's clear that "user-generated content" is going to be one of the big tech buzz-phrases of 2006. Most of the time, it refers to the antics of AJAX-filled Web apps with cutesy names and cutesier logos, or to grainy YouTube videos of kids breaking TV screens with Wiimotes. But clearly, user-generated content goes beyond the series of tubes and into other niches of 21st-century lifestyle. Boozing, for example. A while ago, we wrote about the WinePod, which lets oenophiles with a … Read more