The answer to the question of is this as good as a pub is harder for me to answer since I’m relatively new to this whole beer drinking thing.
However, everyone in the office who could try it offered an opinion, and unanimously, the answer was no.
Over group testing, what we found was that while the beer from the tap wasn’t bad, the lack of fizz and carbonation on your tongue was seriously noticeable.
“It lacks body,” said Peter Blasina, tasting it over a lunch, and when compared to a bottle of the same beer poured into a glass, immediately preferred the bottled brew.
Our designer Bill Chan also preferred the pre-packaged bottle, saying that the keg almost tasted flat, and barely had enough bubbles to constitute a fresh beer.
Playing with the bottles, this problem might stem from the CO2 bottle inside the tank being too small for the purpose, and not enough carbonation injected at the time the beer is pulled.
From a design point of view, the all plastic Tap King does come off as cheap, with a plastic body and flimsy feeling, and in some ways reminds us more of a marketing stunt and gimmick than an actual encapsulated brewery for your home, which is sort of what we had hoped it would be.
That said, it’s also around $32, so it doesn’t exactly come with the premium that coffee pod machines come with, making it a very different beast altogether.
Price wise, the Tap King will cost you more to run than buying cans or bottles, and will provide even less.
Comparing the same beer we were testing (James Boag’s Premium Lager), a 24 pack of 375ml bottles not only offers more beer, but costs around $45, not the $48 for two 3.2L Tap-King bottles that only offer 20 drinks.
If you can find cans, they’re generally cheaper and offer more per box, so these hardly compare.
Outside of price, the real question is over whether the quality matches the product. Most people in our office don’t believe that to be the case, but can see why it would be fun to keep a keg in your fridge.
As such, Lion’s Tap King is closer to a marketing stunt than an actual product you’ll keep using.
You might get more than the two or four time use here, but we suspect outside of a party or barbecue, you’ll go back to bottles soon enough.
I really cannot see this product taking off. Reasons are price, taste, fridge space (a lot of beer fridges have been turned off in the last few years due to electricity prices).
They are obviously looking for a gimmick to help try and boost market share. I don’t think this is the answer.
tried the tap king loved it nothing like a draft beer at home yes price is abit expensive but worth it
i have 2 of these in my fridge – with 2 different beers and love it. i am a 30+ married male with a kid. i don’t go to pubs. i drink whilst sitting at home, watching the footy or playing playstation. and it’s perfect for that
Just to let you all know the beer is already carbonated in the bottle, the CO2 cylinder is only there to top up the pressure in the bottle once you pour a beer. If this pressure is not maintained the beers will become progressively more flat as each one is poured.
bottle maker
Correct. The beer is already carbonated. The co2 simply pushes it out. On a side note, they are great for home brewing,
Bought one of these when they came out, really enjoying it. Bottles come in a convenient size even if your just using it as a casual beer drinker (3.2 litres in 3 weeks isn’t much). Despite the misleading bottle sizes if you do the maths I’ve always been able to find a bottle that’s cheaper per ml then buying a regular carton, or at least the same price. Hopefully it stays that way though because they are still new the refills seem to be on sale all the time.
Usually this has been from the cheaper beer ranges available but hey that’s what I get anyway. Have home brewed my own beers for about 15 years now If you like beer I’d recommend buying one.
Also out of all my friends and family who mostly love beer (and some home brew as well) we all find the taste of these mini kegs to be superior to bottled beer (of equivalent brand). The only problem is maybe the first beer is a little too gassy (I guess its over gassed at the start so it holds for longer over time). So don’t let this Leigh bloke put you off, this article is really very negative and I disagree with his opinion. As he says himself in the first paragraph he doesn’t know anything about or even like beer much so yes it is strange that you would write an article critiquing a new beer product, especially when its a negative one.
Is it a gimmick, yes an incredibly fun and cheap gimmick and something a lot of people have wanted for a while now. If you wanted to get one then I definitely recommend they are great fun and some good tasting beer.
I’m on my 6th James Squire 3.2l bottle and it tastes so good I havent tried the boags yet. Great product hope it stays around for a long time.
Just tried tap king w extra dry. Qaulity is about same in tastes. I suppose it crafty neat compare to having four long-neck beer bottles in the fridge shelf. Pity Lion didnt put on recycle scheme with Visy to reward users to return the cannisters. This gadget could have uses for the home brew enthusiasts.
Go look up tap a draft, this has been around already for years.
This is just a dispensing system using co2 not a gassing, you need to chill and let it sit over night at least, with that so the beer absorbs the co2
Bought a Tap King last week and love it. For anyone who prefers a draught or more ‘real ale’ taste it is great. I have always knocked most of the gas out of any bottled lager I have drunk and find the Tap king serves up the perfect amount of fizz. Just sayin’….
I received one for my birthday, beer tasted good but was too gassy and we spent more time waiting for froth to go.
I would not buy another one and I would not recommend Tap King for that reason. also stubbies are easier!
in any major city you can find bottleshops that sell “growlers”: takehome sealed flagons of actual tap beer that sure as hell tastes better and fresher than the equivalent bottle. not the cheap crap that’s available for tap king, admittedly, but still at a lower price than you’d pay at a pub despite generally being vastly superior beers to what your local offers.
Hard to keep tabs on how many drinks you’ve had especially when first couple of beers are frothy- pouring is inconsistent nearly flat by end of bottle. Too expensive. Definitely just a clever marketing ploy. Want my money back
If you don’t brew your own you deserve to drink this swill
Yes. You can use these for your own beer.
The cap is easily disassembled and the co2 can be swapped out. Refill the bottle with carbonated beer and your away.
Also, if you’re getting too much foam, the tap king needs more chilling. These dispensers have been setup for fairly cold beer.
One word…FLAT.
What a disappointment it is. You’re spot on gadget guy.
hey Mr Gadget Beer is always best in cold glasses and clean glasses the one in the pictures are not clean my tap king is great heaps of gas great for me
Trying to work out how to hack this to work with home-brew.
You’re wrong. The product is brilliant. Don’t know what people you got to test them but every person I’ve met who has had a beer from it has said it is much better than out of a bottle.
This is not a good product. The first beer is all head, the next 2 are good but after that the flow drops off and it takes an age to pour and the carbonation drops off. I’m throwing mine out.
I tryed extra dry, it pours great beer but doesn’t taste the same as the glass bottles… They should use glass instead of plastic and it might be a winner
anyone know why mine won’t pour? Tapped the new bottle yesterday then poured a beer today… got halfway through filling a scooner glass and it died in the ass.. not happy
A firm smooth action with the leaver is needed to get a good connection
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=366508936811224
i was too slow on my second bottle and all the CO2 pressure leaked out over a day