James May’s Man Lab – Solving the Problem of Carrying Beer
It’s a problem many of us have faced during our lifetime – you’re out socialising down the pub with friends and it’s your turn to buy the round of beer. However, while you may be skilled enough to carry 3 or even 4 pints of beer in one go, when it comes to carrying more than 4 pints out comes the dreaded tray! It’s very rare to make it back to your table without the tray being knocked and your beloved beer being spilt, which is why James May and Simmy from James May’s Man Lab have found a solution.
They have come up with a prototype carrying device which relies on atmospheric pressure – a rubber disc seals the beer glass, while a pressure gauge allows it to be carried or hooked to a carrier. This allows you to carry a whole round of beer back to your table without spilling a drop however busy the bar is. Genius!
Geek your beer with the Android Kegerator
Beer and technology don't often mix well...think inappropriate Facebook pictures and your phone drowned in a pint of beer. However, geeks can now rejoice with the invention of the Android Kegerator (not suitable for Apple users)! This Android tablet operated kegerator, known as the KegDroid has been designed by Google employee Paul Carff. The KegDroid uses a Motorola Xoom tablet running ICS for primary processing and an Ardunio board which links the mechancial pumping processes and an NFC reader to the tablet. Users then swipe their NFC badge over the reader, which pulls information from their Google+ profile to ensure you're old enough to be served by the KegDroid. The user can choose their glass size and beer type, then open the tap while the Android mascot dispenses the beverage straight into a glass. Now that's what technology was made for!
Cheers!
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Whiskey in Space: It’s Out Of This World!
Whiskey, Scotland's most famous export is being exported out of this world. Ardbury Distillery, located on the island of Islay has been producing whiskey since 1798, and have teamed up with US space research company called NanoRacks. The aim isn't to get astronauts drunk, but to see how sending whiskey up into space for two years affects the distilling process, hoping to determine how the large, complex molecules react without gravity. It made it's way up October last year, but was only recently announced at the Edinburgh International Science Festival. It's claimed it could lead to even better flavoured whiskey, here's hoping it doesn't get lost in space!
Ardberg Distillery
Hiccup
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DIY: Make your own beer kegerator
Question: What's better than beer? Answer: An chilled beer on tap! But there's no need to head down to the pub, because you can make your own draft beer system at home! Robert Hess has made a video giving you step-by-step instructions on how to turn your fridge into a beer kegerator! However, we recommend you ask permission from your partner/parents/flatmate/boss first!
Cheers!
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Marshall Amp Mini Beer Fridge
Music and beer lovers rejoice! The Marshall Amp Mini Beer Fridge is perfect for the rock star in your life; it's shaped just like a classic Marshall Amp and holds plenty of cans and bottles of beer! It features the authentic Marshall signature, logos and even has control knobs that go up to 11. We think it's perfect for hot and sweaty rock stars to replenish themselves on stage; or prehaps just in your living room? Either way it will set you back $299 and you'll have to wait till October 2012.
Cheers!
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Taste Your Words with the Typewriter Cocktail Machine
What do you get if you cross a QWERTY keyboard with alcohol? No we're not talking about a drunk work colleague sending inappropriate emails, but in fact the ingenious Typewriter Cocktail Machine. Designed by 'Morskoiboy' just for fun (like you do), this machine mixes a cocktail as you type.
Each key is in fact a pump made from a syringe, which takes the corresponding liquid to the letter display before delivering it straight into your glass. Designed for use with syrups, the alcohol (or water if you prefer) is attached to the top of the machine and mixes with the syrup. We'd be interested to see how 'drinkstuff' tastes!
Below is the video where 'Morskoiboy' explains his contraption:
Typing has never been so rewarding!
Cheers!
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The DareDroid Dress: A Cocktail Dress That Dispenses Cocktails
The cocktail dress; a staple fashion item in every girl's wardrobe. However Dutch designer Anouk Wipprecht, hacker Marius Kintel and sculptor Jane Tingley have taken things one step further with the DareDroid Dress. At first glance this dress could be mistaken for something out of Lady Gaga's wardrobe, and has been described by the creators as a "biomechanic hybrid cocktail robot".
Happy hour is any hour with this cocktail dispensing dress, which rewards players with a White Russian cocktail upon accepting and completing a game of Truth or Dare. The revolutionary design uses open-source hardware, pneumatic technology and human temperament, however it might not be for the fashion conscious amoungst you.
Cheers!
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The Ultimate Pint Glass Launched
On June 8th drinkstuff.com was invited down to the headquarters of the Design Council in London for the unveiling of Arcoroc’s brand new revolutionary piece of glassware, The Ultimate Pint.
The Ultimate Pint is 5 times stronger than any standard annealed glass and represents the first innovation in glass strengthening techniques since Arc International’s development of the now classic Nonic pint glass 50 years ago.
The Ultimate Pint is the result of a commission by the UK Government to address the presence of glass related crimes in the UK as part of the Design Out Crime initiative. Each year in the UK there is an estimated 5,500 glassings, with 973,000 cases of alcohol related violence costing the NHS up to £2.7bn.
The Design Council and Design Bridge have worked closely with international glassware manufacturer, Arcoroc, to research the implications of creating a tougher pint glass. The Ultimate Pint has a far greater resistance to mechanical and thermal shock, which means it cannot be broken as easily as a normal pint glass to be used as a sharp weapon.
John Goodman, Market Expert at Arc International, stated “By combining both the design and the technology processes, we have created a glass profile that is safer and stronger for use in busy public environments. Whereas normal glass, when broken, either breaks in to large shards or the base of the glass remains intact thus creating a weapon that can be repeatedly used.”
Helene Klimsza, Drinkware Product Director at Arc International, added, “To actually break the glass it takes a lot of energy and in most cases people give up after the first or second attempt.”
No matter how strong a glass is made, each knock and bump will naturally reduce the lifespan of the structure, but The Ultimate Pint features a lifespan 10 to 15 times longer than other standard glassware. When The Ultimate Pint finally does break, it utilises Stress Fracture Management which promotes Reverse Breakage, ensuring the entire glass shatters into small, blunt fragments, leaving no sharp edges which could be potentially used as a weapon.
At the launch of this innovative piece of drinkware at the Design Council offices in Covent Garden, London, drinkstuff.com rubbed shoulders with members of the press, members of the metropolitan police department and publicans from across the UK, all of whom were treated to a presentation to launch the glass into the UK market, which included a hands-on afternoon with The Ultimate Pint and the chance to talk through all aspects with the creators of this new development in glassware.
drinkstuff.com is proud to be among the first UK retailers offering The Ultimate Pint glass, which offers a highly preferable alternative to the increase of polycarbonate tumblers which tests prove have been berated by regular pub goers.
Available in the usual CE marked and nucleated options, The Ultimate Pint heralds a new era in safer glassware manufacture which drinkstuff.com is proud to be a part of.
For more information, and to order your Ultimate Pint Glass, visit drinkstuff.com.
The Ultimate Pint Glass CE
The Ultimate Pint Glass CE Head Booster
The World’s Largest Corkscrew by Rob Higgs
We’ve seen plenty of big things in our time; supersized glassware, giant sweets and rather large cocktail accessories. But a giant corkscrew? Surely that’s one gadget that should be able to fit in the kitchen draw? Not satisfied with a regular corkscrew, artist Rob Higgs has made an ingenious mechanical sculpture that removes the cork from a bottle of wine before pouring you a glass. How lazy, yet awesome.
Comprising of almost 300 parts, with an array of gears and levers, it has been cast in bronze for a professional looking finish. There's an exclusive limited edition of 100, but weighing in around half a ton, it’s probably not advisable to buy one for your home bar.
Cheers!
The Drinkstuff Blog
Glass Wine Tank
We thought we sold some crazy drinking gadgets, but the Wine Glass Tank from quirky Japanese designers Kyousei Design really takes the biscuit. Forget about swigging wine like a hobo straight from the bottle, drinking vast quantities of wine has become much more sophisticated.
Eliminating the need to refill your glass, by the time you’ve guzzled your way through the entire contents of this absurd drinking vessel, you’ll probably find you’ve had plenty enough vino for one evening. As the designers state “it is a glass for drinking a lot”, but we can’t help but feel they’ve been drinking too much themselves.
The Glass Tank features a large blub shaped reservoir, which continually keeps the burgundy shape glass stuck on the side full. Try not to get too confused though, it doesn’t have magical rejuvenating properties so you will still have to top it up when it gets empty.
Now for the science bit (pay attention at the back!): when the amount in the glass decreases, a constant measure flows from the tank into the glass, never overflowing due to the perfect balance of air pressure and water pressure. Swirling not recommended.
We’d love to try one out to see if it really does work and you can drink from it without the need to put your stain remover to the test, but at 32,000 yen, that's around £240 to you and me, it's one expensive gift! Until then, we’ll just have to find other fun ways to drink our wine. Now, pass that bottle!