Draught 'beer' on KLM flights.

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Capetonian

Draught 'beer' on KLM flights.

#1 Post by Capetonian » Sat Jul 09, 2016 3:18 pm

A relative who is in the drinks trade has drawn my attention to a press release stating that KLM are to become the world's first airline to serve draught beer (as opposed to tinned beer that calls itself 'draught') on its flights.

First of all I remember having draught beer many years on a flight to or from South Africa - I think it was probably on Scandinavian when they had the DC8-63 service on that route. Second, apparently it's going to be Heineken, and to describe that stuff as 'beer' is a stretch of the imagination.

Much as I like the Dutch, their country, and their airline, I think this is false advertising.

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Re: Draught 'beer' on KLM flights.

#2 Post by Ex-Ascot » Sat Jul 09, 2016 3:33 pm

OK, can't think of the pressure calculations for this. At 8,000' cabin altitude you would have to have a special system to deliver draught beer the same as ground level?
'Yes, Madam, I am drunk, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly.' Sir Winston Churchill.

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Re: Draught 'beer' on KLM flights.

#3 Post by Capetonian » Sat Jul 09, 2016 3:44 pm

That's correct, which is why he sent the article to me as it mentioned the technical challenge.
According to a report in the NLTimes, the company had developed a beer tap trolley in order to pour drinks from draft at high altitude and had been hoping to put it to good use for flights scheduled in July.

However, pouring draft beer at such altitudes can prove difficult as the beer sprays too hard from the tap due to carbon dioxide pressurisation. This led to Heineken developing a new keg system that relied more on air pressure than CO2 canisters, meaning beer could safely be poured at altitudes up to 10,000 kilometres.

Heineken also incorporated it into a trolley, meaning it could be mobilised through the aisles, though it does not have enough space to house a cooling system, thus ensuring that the beer is cooled before it is loaded onto the aircraft before being installed inside for insulation.

KLM had been hoping to debut the feature on a flight to Curaçao over the weekend, but will now have to wait until they are able to obtain the necessary paperwork.

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Re: Draught 'beer' on KLM flights.

#4 Post by Ex-Ascot » Sat Jul 09, 2016 3:59 pm

10,000 kms altitude, golly, a space station pub. And it is only a 'draft' proposal not concerning 'draught' beer.

Cloggies, don't you just love them and their wacky bakkie cafes.
'Yes, Madam, I am drunk, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly.' Sir Winston Churchill.

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Re: Draught 'beer' on KLM flights.

#5 Post by Boac » Sat Jul 09, 2016 4:15 pm

Ah! But Yorkshire Airlines did it first!

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Re: Draught 'beer' on KLM flights.

#6 Post by Ex-Ascot » Sat Jul 09, 2016 4:45 pm

Boac, can't get that clip on 3G but I know it well. Brilliant. And, one of my airline's aircraft.
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Re: Draught 'beer' on KLM flights.

#7 Post by ExSp33db1rd » Sun Jul 10, 2016 2:22 am

Draft beer on board. BOAC did this on the 707 in the '60's. Maybe not strictly "draught" but one of those 4 pint (8 ?) cans called Pipkins (?) and served out of a tap powered by a Sparklets syphon pressurised gadget of the era. The First Class steward pushed the can through the cabin on a trolley and "pulled" pint glasses at the seat side for those requesting it.

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Re: Draught 'beer' on KLM flights.

#8 Post by A Lutra Continua » Tue Jul 12, 2016 4:52 pm

Capetonian wrote:That's correct, which is why he sent the article to me as it mentioned the technical challenge.
According to a report in the NLTimes, the company had developed a beer tap trolley in order to pour drinks from draft at high altitude and had been hoping to put it to good use for flights scheduled in July.

However, pouring draft beer at such altitudes can prove difficult as the beer sprays too hard from the tap due to carbon dioxide pressurisation. This led to Heineken developing a new keg system that relied more on air pressure than CO2 canisters, meaning beer could safely be poured at altitudes up to 10,000 kilometres.

Heineken also incorporated it into a trolley, meaning it could be mobilised through the aisles, though it does not have enough space to house a cooling system, thus ensuring that the beer is cooled before it is loaded onto the aircraft before being installed inside for insulation.

KLM had been hoping to debut the feature on a flight to Curaçao over the weekend, but will now have to wait until they are able to obtain the necessary paperwork.



Utter bolleaux. Urine poor journalism. Any beer dispensed from a keg under pressure has a regulating valve on the tap to control the outflow of beer. Works just fine at sea level as well as on the highveld at 5500'AMSL. No doubt beer poured next to the runway at Letseng will behave in a similar manner.

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Re: Draught 'beer' on KLM flights.

#9 Post by Ex-Ascot » Wed Jul 13, 2016 2:39 pm

ALC you probably know better than most about this.

OK, how do you boil a perfect soft boiled egg at 8,000' feet cabin altitude? Our guys used to do it.

Classic when I was flying Mrs T on one occassion. Cabin supervisor: 'Mam how would you like your eggs? Boiled, fried, scrambled or poached'. PM: 'Oh you can't go to all that trouble, we will all have them the same, I will have poached'
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Re: Draught 'beer' on KLM flights.

#10 Post by A Lutra Continua » Thu Jul 14, 2016 5:26 pm

Ex-Ascot wrote:...OK, how do you boil a perfect soft boiled egg at 8,000' feet cabin altitude? Our guys used to do it....



Pressure cooker if you want to be clever or the same way we do it here at 5500' AMSL.

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Re: Draught 'beer' on KLM flights.

#11 Post by Ex-Ascot » Fri Jul 15, 2016 7:42 am

They used to put a whole load in the pan and take one out every 30 secs after 2 mins to check it. When they got one that was just right they took them all out.
'Yes, Madam, I am drunk, but in the morning I shall be sober and you will still be ugly.' Sir Winston Churchill.

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