My 6-month review testing newfangled beer-dispensing tech is finally done

Bartender John Olson and owner Dan Lilly of Pinky's Pizza Parlor show us the latest in keg technology from Walnut Creek, Calif. I'm the moderator sporting the Oakland Raiders sweatshirt. RAIDERS! (video link)

We at Ars are always on the lookout for new technology. So when I learned (belatedly) that Heineken USA had introduced a new beer-dispensing technology called "Brewlock,” I jumped at the chance to review it. After all, only a grizzled reporter with massive experience in the genre could handle a story like the Brewlock. This was a job for a writer who feels just as comfortable drinking alone as he does imbibing with strangers at the local watering hole.

At Ars we're often under deadlines to churn out reviews quickly. But in this case of the Brewlock, I assigned myself no deadline (you can do that when you’re the senior editor). Instead, I spent the better part of six months testing and comparing Heineken's new technology. Because that's what real journalists do. We push the envelope. Whether I pushed too far here and over the years might be better understood by my larger-than-normal bar tabs, breakups, mishaps, and run-ins with law enforcement.

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