Multi-keg switching tech changes beer kegs automatically

A new tech solution cuts waiting times and provides pub staff with useful data on their most popular beers.

As good customer service and short waiting times become increasingly expected, it is unsurprising that innovative solutions have been devised to make the process of running establishments in hospitality as efficient as possible. For example, the recent invention of a smart beer tap, speeds up serving time and provides the perfect amount of foam in each pint, whilst simultaneously tracking sales. Another similar improvement is the underground pipeline in Bruges, which supplies a brewery with beer directly from their supplier.

Six electrical engineering students from Queen’s University Belfast recognized the current issues with changing a keg. They decided to bring bars into the twenty-first century with their invention called KegoMatic. Currently, changing a keg means about a ten-minute wait. The tubes fill with foam, and the first couple of pints are undrinkable and must be thrown away. KegoMatic means that several kegs can be connected at once, and automatically changes when a keg is empty. This means no waiting time and no more wasted pints.

According to co-founder Connor Carville, “For an average bar in Northern Ireland, our system would immediately save GBP 2,500 annually, purely because it means their beer lines won’t fill up with foam. When a keg runs out, the foam fills the line and that takes 1.5 or 2 pints to clear. Those pints are put down the drain”. Whilst it is relatively simple to connect several kegs at once, it is harder to tell how much beer is left in each keg. Their solution to this is to place each keg on a base with built-in weighing scale. They then analyse the weight change over time. In order to calculate the rate at which beer is poured, it thus helps with stock management.

How else could pubs and bars be modernized and made more efficient? Could this technology be applicable to other industries to help them to avoid wastage and improve customer service?