Bar innovation enables sampling and display of high-end beers

Beer connoisseurs like to try before they buy just as much as the next consumer; the only problem is that high-end bottles of the stuff can cost a pretty penny, making bartenders reluctant to open them. That’s where the BeerVault comes in. Designed by Australian design firm Jones Chijoff, the BeerVault gives bars a way to preserve and display their finest beers for sampling and beyond. The innovation began when Victoria-based Jones Chijoff was hired by Melbourne-based bar Biero to solve its sampling problem, driven by the fact that some of its boutique bottles of beer can cost as much as AUD 200. Now, with the BeerVault, Biero can siphon its various bottled beers into UV-filtering clear acrylic canisters, which are backlit and suspended above the bar. There, each beer is kept under the same pressure as it was while in the bottle, thus preserving it equally well; it’s also kept cold via a clear volume of liquid glycol that surrounds it and circulates through a chiller. Bartenders can dispense quantities as small as they want, allowing patrons to not only sample Biero’s beers but also order them based on the colours of those on display. The BeerVault is currently available only for hire while Jones Chijoff readies its marketing plans. With its preservation capabilities and capacity for creating an aesthetically engaging display, the BeerVault seems highly applicable to other beverage categories as well, including wine. Which bar in *your* neighbourhood will be first to claim this new, differentiating feature?