BeerTender is a home keg-tapping system manufactured by Krups

Krups

Krups is a German kitchen appliance manufacturer, named after its founder Robert Krups.It is often confused with the Krupp conglomerate.The company also produces a large variety of household appliances...

 in a joint venture with brewer

Brewer

Brewer may refer to:*Brewer, someone who makes beer by brewing*Brewer , a disambiguation page that lists people with the surname Brewer*Brewer, Maine, a city in southern Penobscot County, Maine, United States, near the city of Bangor...

 Heineken

Heineken

Heineken is a Dutch beer which has been brewed by Heineken International since 1873. It is available in a 4.6% alcohol variety in countries such as Ireland. It is the flagship product of the Heineken company and is made of purified water, malted barley, hops, and yeast. In 1886 H...

.

Operation

The BeerTender operates via a miniaturized version of a commercial bar

Bar (establishment)

A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...

 or pub draught

Draught beer

Draught beer is beer served from a cask or a pressurised keg.-History of draught:Until Joseph Bramah patented the beer engine in 1785, beer was served directly from the barrel and carried to the customer. The Old English word for carry was dragen which developed into a series of related words,...

 tap

Tap

-Mechanical and electrical:* Tap , a device for controlling the release of a liquid or gas* Tap , part of an electrical device* A cutting tool, part of a tap and die set-Entertainment:* Tap dance...

. The Beertender uses pressurized carbon dioxide cartridge to create a greater pressure within the closed hydraulic system (which includes the keg

Keg

A keg is a small barrel.Traditionally, a wooden keg is made by a cooper used to transport items such as nails, gunpowder., and a variety of liquids....

 and plumbing

Plumbing

Plumbing is the system of pipes and drains installed in a building for the distribution of potable drinking water and the removal of waterborne wastes, and the skilled trade of working with pipes, tubing and plumbing fixtures in such systems. A plumber is someone who installs or repairs piping...

, thus the beer

Beer

Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...

 flows out of the spout to seek an equilibrium of pressure

Pressure

Pressure is the force per unit area applied in a direction perpendicular to the surface of an object. Gauge pressure is the pressure relative to the local atmospheric or ambient pressure.- Definition :...

s.

Special 5 litre (1.32 US liquid gallons) are purchased with beer supplied in a plastic bag. The BeerTender has the ability to refrigerate this beer.

Longevity

Heineken claims their beer will be free of spoilage for up to 4 weeks.

• All tubing must be replaced as a hygiene
  Hygiene
  Hygiene refers to the set of practices perceived by a community to be associated with the preservation of health and healthy living. While in modern medical sciences there is a set of standards of hygiene recommended for different situations, what is considered hygienic or not can vary between...
  
   measure to guard against contamination, which are obtainable online for USD $11.00.

Rivalry with InBev and Philips

Heineken commenced a similar joint-venture with Philips

Philips

Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. , more commonly known as Philips, is a multinational Dutch electronics company....

, but Philips opted out. Heineken subsequently joined up with Group SEB conglomerate which owns Krups. Following the success of the BeerTender, Philips introduced a rival product PerfectDraft

PerfectDraft

PerfectDraft is a beer tapping system from Dutch company Philips and Belgian company InBev. It claims to dispense the best draught. The device is similar to the installations for tapping beer at parties, however it works with special six-liter-kegs. Both Jupiler and Stella Artois and a whole range...

a joint-venture with Interbrew

Interbrew

Interbrew was a large Belgium-based brewing company which owned many internationally known beers, as well as some smaller local beers. In 2004 Interbrew merged with Brazilian brewer AmBev to form InBev, which is the now largest brewer in the world by volume, with a 13% global market share now...

. Heineken took Philips to court over claims of plagiarism

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...

 but Heineken lost the suit

Suit

-Garments:*Suit , a set of garments with matching pieces, including at least a coat and trousers**Formal wear, the general terms for clothing suitable for formal social events*Boilersuit, or coverall, a loose-fitting one-piece garment...

in December 2005.