(Video Link)
Last month, I linked to the above video and wondered how this beer dispenser could work. My guess was that the dispenser pushed open a perforated hole in the bottom. Now we have a confirmed explanation:
The cup features a small hole at the bottom, covered up by a circular magnet. Pressurized beer lifts the magnet up, filling the cup until the weight of the beer on top of the magnet pushes it back down, sealing the bottom. This system is not only faster (serving 56 draft beers in a minute), but minimizes spilling, to the joy of sticky-footed concert-goers everywhere.
Josh Springer, head of GrinOn, was originally developing a pitcher with a latch on the bottom, but when it turned out that would cost $30,000 to develop, he switched his focus. The GrinOn cups cost only 30 cents more than normal disposable cups, and the magnets also serve as an advertising device for drunken buffoons, who steal them to put on their refrigerators. Selling that space to advertisers generates extra revenue.
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-01/video-magnetic-beer-pouring-system-fills-your-cup-bottom
What keeps the beer from leaking out during the filling process...maybe it does some and the dispenser has a drain
Also: The cups only cost 30 cents more than a reg. cup???
How much does a reg. cup cost...maybe 1 cent?
Another way to say it: The new cups cost 3000 percent more than a regular cup.
What?
Obviously this explanation is brought to you by the science majors from the Kansas State Public Education system.
I managed a concession stand at my local arena for about ten years. One of the biggest problems with beer service is teaching the cashiers how to draw a decent beer. This product seems to have licked most of the problems with minimal foaming and portion control that we experienced with the traditional tap systems.
As for the cost: It is a bit high. 16-20 oz clear Solo beer cups run about 5-7 cents each. Specially imprinted cups usually cost about 10-15 cents each.
But the extra cost can be justified and most likely underwritten by sponsors as advertising.
Why is it a MAGNET?
my first guess was jesus did it.
Meanwhile, no cure for cancer yet.