CES 2008: Beer Gadgetry

I must confess, beer is not my only passion. I also love gadgets. They don’t even have to be useful most of the time, I just love cool shiny things that are different. And it’s one of these less useful items that inspired this post. Krups, a company already known for it’s brews, and Heineken, not exactly sure what they are famous for, bring us a keg fridge, officially named the BeerTender, complete with tap and Heineken logo. It also comes equipped with an LCD screen and will tell you the beer temperature and when the beer is low. I have seen similar full size keg fridges, but this one comes in the 5 liter flavor. Check out a picture after the jump.

I have to be honest, I like this thing. It fits on the countertop and delivers beer. Unfortunately it’s Heineken. Anyone know how we can fill these Heineken kegs with homebrew? If this could be done (and I have no doubt that it can) then $400 might still be a bit stiff for this item, but the purchase could be justified. Thanks to Engadget for finding this at CES.

Note: As I finished writing this I found the Avanti Mini Pub online, a similar product that claims to accept “all standard 5-Liter mini beer kegs, which are available in most grocery stores nowadays” and retails for $300. Again, not really sure which 5-liter kegs these would be and how refillable these kegs are. If you have more information, please share. Could there be an adapter for growlers filled at your favorite brewery? Wishful thinking, I am sure.