Innovative technology
Summer 2007
Bringing premium quality draught beer to places it's never been before; that's
the power of Heineken's newest mobile tap beer system, Xtreme Draught.
Now operating in 15 countries around the world, this innovative system gives
new meaning to the concepts of brand visibility, mobility and stylish design.
"The Xtreme Draught was designed with ease of
use and accessibility in mind," says Coen van
Hoogstraten at Heineken Beer Systems. "With its
relatively low cost, attractive slim-line design and
simplicity of operation, the system is the perfect
mobile draught beer solution for our customers
in the hotel, restaurant and bar segments for in
and outdoor use."
Heineken began market testing the Xtreme
Draught in the summer of 2005, at 50 hospitality
outlets in five European markets, including the
Netherlands, Spain, Greece, Italy and Austria.
Industry response to the system was positive,
with market demand for production models very
quickly outstripping supply levels. The first
production models of the unit were available for
delivery to the markets in July 2006.
"Most recently, the system was rolled out in Italy,
launched at the Pianeta Birra trade expo in
Rimini," says van Hoogstraten. "The system, in
combination with TenCan, is perfect for the
Italian beer market. It helps to bolster the
consumption of draught beer, as well as bringing
tap beer to outlets where previously only bottled
Heineken was available."
At 38cm wide and 1.5 metres high, the Xtreme
Draught is highly mobile and user-friendly. The
system uses a disposable beer tube, meaning the
unit is virtually maintenance free and requires no
line cleaning. The Xtreme Draught also makes
use of the Heineken TenCan, the world's first-ever
recyclable 10-litre keg for the on-premise sector.
"With the Heineken TenCan, we are able to
penetrate previously untapped and difficult to
access segments like small on-premise
outlets/occasions, terraces and cruise liners.
Ease of use in these outlets is of the utmost
importance," says van Hoogstraten. "New
markets can be mined which could not be
serviced with returnable kegs, offering the
Xtreme Draught huge potential for future growth
and further global expansion."
