DRAUGHT IN LINE FOR MAJOR BREAKTHROUGHS

WITH INNOVATION BOTH IN THE CELLAR AND AT THE BAR, CRAIG HAWTIN-BUTCHER TALKS TO KEY PLAYERS IN THE EQUIPMENT AND DISPENSE SPACE TO DISCOVER HOW DRAUGHT MANUFACTURING, CELLARING AND DISPENSING ARE CURRENTLY MID-REVOLUTION.

“In the States with Techstar we have a customer who does 40,000 50-litre kegs of kombucha a year,” says Nick Becker, Business Manager at Kegstar, an important player in the Australian keg-supply market.

While there are many reasons that make comparisons with the US unwise, Becker believes what happens in the US eventually matters over here.

“We always seem to be 3-10 years behind the States so I’d expect to see [kombucha] coming over here.”

We’re also a long way from seeing onpremise dispense taken over by kombucha, but Becker is not alone in highlighting the non-beer liquids frequently being tapped for patrons across Australia.

“Small-to-medium sized venues are potentially carrying more than 20 variants of draught beverage products,” says Joel Hunter, Manager of Beverage at Bracton Group, dispense equipment specialists. “Wine, nitro coffee, sparkling water and cocktails are all extremely popular at present and help new companies build their brands through increased product visibility,” says Hunter.

Becker believes improved dispense quality, reduced spoilage and environmental factors are other factors driving a boom in draught dispense aside from eye-catching design.

Draught cocktails such as Mister Mixer's espresso martini are increasingly popular

“Certainly coming into summer we’re seeing a lot of spirits on tap, kombucha starting to have more and more impact in the draught space,” says Becker. “The quality of wine we’re putting into keg is certainly a lot higher than maybe the first-pour bottle [hotels] have got on the shelf. Pricing wise it may not come in as cheap as the first-pour but the quality is a lot higher. If it’s in keg, then it’s on nitrogen gas the whole time, a preservative gas, so you’re never having to tip out a half-bottle that doesn’t get used. The Cricketer’s Arms in Balmain has a white wine and the Coogee Pavilion, [along with] some of the Merivale pubs have gone into wine on tap. It’s still fairly niche but there are a lot of wineries enquiring about it and what to do.”

PROMINENT DISPENSE

Beyond what’s in the keg, how it’s being dispensed is a huge growth area, argues Hunter. “Breweries and other product providers are seeking ways to make their products ‘stand out’ from the wide range of competitors,” he says, “and this is leading to more interactive forms of branding on towers. Illuminated LED decals or ‘Smart Decals’ have been introduced allowing for great visual and audible immersion through digital media at point of sale.

Illuminated and multimedia branding at taps is going to be an ever-increasing trend over the next five years.”

It is quite common for venues to spend 30-40% of their entire system budget on architect- prescribed finishes with artistic flairs, according to Hunter. “Rustic finishes, quirky additions from spanner-tap handles to futuristic LED temperature gauges and lights or steampunk-inspired fluid-filled gauges and copper windings. Hanging founts, exposed pipework, bold colours and a highly-industrial look [are] very popular,” he says. Hunter cites the Governor Hotel in Macquarie Park, Hornsby RSL and the All Hands Brewing house in King St Wharf as strong examples of these dispense twists.

CLEANING UP, CHILLING OUT

Meanwhile a number of influencers Australian Hotelier spoke to highlighted the core role of maintenance and cleanliness. Over at CellarControl, managing director Carl Pavett continues to highlight the role of cleanliness in draught lines. A research project his team undertook at The Precinct in Darwin utilising CellarControl’s cleaning programme showed their six-weekly cycle was an improvement on the venue’s previous fortnightly approach, using less harsh chemical treatments.

This drive towards ‘cleaner’ cleaning products has also been witnessed by Hunter, who says there’s a real focus in the industry on increased safety for dangerous goods handling during beerline cleaning processes.

Hopscotch, Southbank, Melbourne

“Traditionally most brewery-approved beerline cleaners have been corrosive Class Eight,” he says, “and improper use has led to some horrific injuries, including loss of eyesight and even death in cases of undiluted ingestion.” To combat these issues, Bracton has launched Bracton Craft Beerline cleaner, which aims to minimise safety risks during use.

Additionally, the ‘craft beer’ approach of small bars and pubs is transferring to more established hotel venues, says Becker. “We’re now seeing the trend of the bigger pubs, the maybe more traditional pubs, that are starting to experiment with reducing their tap contracts and putting on local beers. With this live beer, compared with the major beers that are pasteurised, these live beers tend to taint the lines a bit more, so the cleanliness needs to be kept at a constant.”

Becker also highlights the increasing need for refrigeration of craft beers. “Alot of the beer is now becoming cold supply chain. The kegs need to be treated as if they’re cold, so when they’re received they go into the cold room, rather than sitting around the pub or sitting in the cellar getting hot with all that dispensing equipment. Particularly with hoppy, bitter beers.”

Bright Tank, East Perth

GETTING ECO-FRIENDLY

Those ice-encrusted dispense taps come at a cost to the environment too, suggests Hunter, since the glycol technology they rely on calls for large amounts of energy to produce the effect.

“Some customers are creating cladded towers featuring insulation that can reduce the heat load on the tower by more than 90%,” says Hunter, “leading to some systems’ overall energy consumption reducing by 60% or more. Merivale has featured these towers at many of their venues including … the Hotel Palisade [and] has a particularly inspired example designed by … Sibella Court.” As for key pieces of advice, Hunter says: “Be bold, innovative and create something that really resonates with your venue, but understand the limitations that come with. I highly recommend that venues monitor the period taken to dispense certain draught products and take steps to ensure that the products are dispensed within a three-week period, whether that be removing extremely slow moving products, reducing brand offerings or conducting specials to move the products when it is approaching the end of the recommended deadline.”