At the time of writing this review, there are only a handful of one-line reviews on this beer dispenser. I looked at the other options - the SUB (£99), the Phillips one (£450) and this.
Ultimately I decided the SUB wasn't ideal because you're incredibly restricted in what beer you can buy, and there aren't many options.
The Phillips I didn't really consider because it costs £450 which is too much for me.
I ended up opting for the Baridi because it can take any 5L keg from the supermarket or online. I wanted to be able to drink ales as well as lagers (and possibly ciders) and be able to choose the temperature; you can set between 2C and 12C.
The product itself is okay, if you're happy to take the time to read the (basic) manual and use your common sense.
The negatives:
Changing the beer keg is a pain. You lose a bit of beer every time. There's a learning curve and the first few times there will be a lot of swearing. Plus, changing the beer keg involves pulling out a little big of plastic and a tiny screw. They don't give you any spares here, I know I will lose them both before long. Hopefully Baridi can provide me with some spares. (Note that they do give you a few other spares like rubber rings etc).
Chill time. If you drink lager you'll want to get the temp down to 4C or so. This can take a few hours, but a bit of common sense i.e. keeping the keg in a cold place beforehand makes a lot of difference.
I suspect this will be something I use on special occasions rather than every day, but that's good as I don't want to end up an alchy.
The Positives:
5L kegs are available from many companies and supermarkets, you aren't tied to in like with the SUB. Cost can be as low as £1.50 a pint.
Price - not too expensive compared to others.
CO2 canister holder. I know this sounds silly but I hate using CO2 canisters, they often backfire if not screwed on quickly and get really cold. With this , it comes with a plastic holder which prevents that.
FINALLY. As for the beer, it tastes great. You can adjust the amount of head you want, by adjusting the pressure setting. You can also choose how cool you want it. I drink IPAs and 'real' ale rather than lager and wanted to be able to set that at 7C or so.
Quite an expensive toy, but overall I think it's worth it, especially for barbecues etc. Just be prepared to keep faffing around with it!
| Brand | Dellonda |
|---|---|
| Model Number | DH49 |
| Colour | Black |
| Item Weight | 8.2 kg |
| Material | Stainless Steel |
| Item Weight | 8.2 kg |
