Verdict
A full-strength improvement on the original , the PerfectDraft Pro is compatible with the same range of beer as the master . This sentence , though , it total voguish app ascendence , variable temperature setting and sander pouring into the mix . The overall result is the good beer machine for the good beer scheme .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
ThePhilips PerfectDraftis a top - quality mathematical product , delivering that true pub - at - home experience – with only one minor job : it cools all beer to 3ºC , regardless of eccentric . The PerfectDraft Pro ( no longer manufactured by Philips ) is here to direct that effect , offering variable temperature ascendance , Smart Pour technical school for perfect pouring , a smart app and faster cooling . Those with the original may fight to apologise buying the young machine ; however , if you drink a variety show of beers then this is the ultimate machine to purchase .
Design and Features
Like the original PerfectDraft auto , the PerfectDraft Pro is well bought fromBeerHawk . you’re able to buy all of the kegs from here , too , so it make horse sense to bribe everything from one spot .
Also like the original , the young machine claim the 6 - litre PerfectDraft keg . That ’s good news : there ’s no two - tier system , with some beer only available for the novel machine . Here , any keg can fit into any automobile .
The sizing of the kegs means that you ’ll get just over 10 pint of beer a play , and each keg endure for up to 30 days once opened . I feel that this is a salutary via media : there ’s enough beer for a little gather , or to reconcile a single person over the row of a couple of weeks .
At the metre of writing , there ’s a choice of 48 beers , swan from bigger supermarket brands ( Bud and Stella ) to more elysian choice , include Schneider ’s Bayrisch Hell , Tiny Rebel Cali Pale and BrewDog Punk IPA . In my experience , the choice available will happily cover most tastes , while also being good than the universal 5 - liter kegs that you could foot up in supermarket .
Kegs range from around £ 30 to £ 40 , which at the low-toned end amounts to around £ 2.80 a dry pint . However , once you ’ve bought your first keg , you could retort empty unit to BeerHawk for a £ 5 credit into your account towards next purchases . That ’s good for two reasons : your next beer purchases will be inexpensive , and the kegs are recycled and recycle , which is honest for the surround . I ’m not sure if the disceptation “ the more I drink , the more ecological good I do ” holds truthful – but I ’m stick to it .
While the keg and beer range on fling with the PerfectDraft Pro may be the same as the late model , the organisation has been redesigned to deliver an improved beer - drinking experience . Most importantly , the unchanging 3ºC cooling has been replaced with a thermostat , so dissimilar beer can be keep at different temperatures .
The low-toned terminal point is set as standard at 3ºC with a high terminus ad quem of 7ºC. Unlock the gamy temperature range choice in the app and the down demarcation is reduce to 0ºC with an upper terminal point of 12ºC. While you could sic temperatures manually from the front of the machine , it ’s easy to overcharge up the PerfectDraft Pro to Wi - Fi and practice the app instead .
The app offer the same controls that come along on the front of the simple machine , but also a installation to search out the beer you ’ve bought and have the machine set to just the right temperature .
This simple machine can cool down a kegful to its set temperature in just 10 hours , a full two hours quicker than the archetype . If you have clip , pre - chilling kegs in the fridge – never put them in the Deepfreeze – will shorten the job .
From the app and the front of the machine , you may check the freshness index : it counts down mechanically , so you may see apace if your beer has go past its best .
I ’m hoping that the new temperature range will unfold PerfectDraft up to more ales . At the moment , the selection is geared towards beers that are well dish comparatively cold : lager and IPAs .
The raw simple machine has overhauled the style that keg are establish , too . They still call for the new plastic spout clipping into topographic point , but this goes inside a holder that clips over the top of the keg .
slither the keg into the machine is much easier than with the original – and I also choose the undivided room access , rather than double , of the Pro machine .
The drip tray is better here , too : it slither away when it is n’t in enjoyment , and pulls out well for clean house .
The PerfectDraft Pro also has a very slightly different tap . The new one features two magnetic discs , one at the front and one at the back . Four are in the box , but special edition are coming .
PerfectDraft kegs have an intragroup aluminium bag that holds the beer , with the auto using a compressor to push air into the kegful to maintain pressing without affecting the beer . There ’s no faffing about with CO2 canisters , as is the case with theSalter Pro Universal Chilled Draft Beer Dispenser .
Performance
If there was one venial issue with the original automobile it was that beer could be a bit foamy when pelt . Smart Pour tech savoir-faire this way out in the raw model , to a degree . Overall , I found that the PerfectDraft Pro pour well , but it still works best with a wide-eyed pint glass than a thinner pilsner glass .
Full opening of the strike poured a perfect beer every time , with a bland headspring of the case you ’d usually only get in a pub ; this just is n’t something you could duplicate if pouring from a feeding bottle .
I found that eubstance was meliorate here , too . teem an IPA , it was served at 5ºC , bestow out its flavour while keeping it refreshingly cold ; 3ºC is a piddling too frigid for this kind of beer . Conversely , a Pilsner was best suffice at an frappe - cold 3ºC.
There ’s a scrap of racket from the cool off fans , although you ’d shinny to hear the PerfectDraft Pro in a normal elbow room . The motorcar is a little louder when pouring beer , particularly when the compressor kicks in . However , the sound here is more refined racket , not the jarring and whiz noise that the original made .
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Join the waiting for the PerfectDraft Pro at Beer Hawk
Should you buy it?
If you desire the good - quality beer poured at the right temperature , standardized to that served in a pub , then this is the machine for you .
If you ’re more of an ale juicer , then there is n’t much pick at the moment . Those with an survive PerfectDraft machine may find it hard to justify the upgrade .
Final Thoughts
Until now , the original PerfectDraft machine has been the unspoilt beer dispenser : it ’s easy to use and uphold temperature over the keg ’s life . The Salter Universal Chilled Draft Beer Dispenser is fiddly to use , since it want CO2 canisters for some kegs , only cool down for up to 21 hours , and has to be filled with H2O .
In my view , the PerfectDraft Pro surpasses both machines . It ’s easy to use than the original , pours more easily , and the varying temperature selection ( either from the machine front or through the app ) have me serve beer at the right temperature , regardless of eccentric . My one wish now is that more ales become available .
If you have the original and do n’t use it that often , you may struggle to absolve an upgrade . Those buying unexampled , or sept who like to try out with gobs of beer types , will hump this auto .
Trusted Score
FAQs
Yes , it will work with the same 6 - litre kegs .
You get a £ 5 credit for each kegful refund .