The free beer was Newcastle and more specifically I was asked to review the Newcastle DraughtKeg, a 5-liter self-contained mini-keg of Newcastle Brown Ale.
When I initially received the product I was a bit upset and angry.
How in the world does free beer lead to one becoming angry? Simple. I had to wait almost three weeks to drink it…stupid away games and bye weeks!
Seeing that this is a tailgating site, I thought it would be best to write my review following the use of the DraughtKeg at a tailgate.
Sunday was a home game, so out finally came the Newcastle Draughtkeg. And the best part was that this home game was a 4:15 kick-off. A late kick-off means more time to tailgate!
As you guessed from the name, the Draughtkeg is shaped like an actual keg, only much smaller. After some rearranging of the refrigerator shelves I was able to fit the Draughtkeg in, allowing the beer to get nice and cold on Saturday (the recommended time for chilling the beer is 10 hours). On Sunday morning out came the keg. Once we got down to the stadium the keg went right into our cooler of ice (probably not necessary, but to this fan there are few things in life that are better than ice cold beer!)
The beer drinker only needs to attach the included plastic tap to the center of the Draughtkeg, slide the plastic nozzle into the tap, place his / her glass under the tap, and then lift the lever on top of the keg. And then there is beer!
For those Keg Newbies, the Draughtkeg comes with detailed instructions for chilling and setting-up the tap. Even if you follow the instructions perfectly, don’t be surprised if the first glass contains a bit too much head or if there are residual beer drips after dispensing the beer. It’s a keg, it happens. Check out any local college party if you don’t believe me!
My opinion of the product…it’s a winner.
It’s a nice, convenient way to drink more than a gallon of cold, yummy beer! There were times when there was some spillage of the beer during dispensing of the beer (probably because I flipped the handle too suddenly), but I was in the parking lot, so who cares! Between my Dad and I the Draughtkeg was gone by kick-off!
Prior to receiving the Draughtkeg I was a fan of Newcastle beer. The beer has a great taste, a smooth and lighter body than other dark beers. I have always viewed the Newcastle Brown Ale as the great compromise for light ale drinkers and dark beer drinkers. And from the Draughtkeg, the beer tastes like a “local bar” tapped beer, with good head.