Home delivery of food and beverages is booming in times of the Corona pandemic. Now beer lovers are not only restricted to beer in cans and bottles but can also order draft beer to their home. Q&G beverage delivery and party services from Germany has recently acquired the internet platform fassbier.online and has now started professional business operations well in advance of the Christmas holidays.
Fassbier.online started two years ago as a service for clients of WorldKeg, a new stainless-steel oneway keg. (inside.beer, 19.12.2018) After the successful testing phase, during which valuable information about customer behavior and the feasibility of mail-order for kegs could be obtained, Q&G has now taken over the platform and starts to professionally promote the service. Customers can expect a growing range of beer but also other beverages in the coming year. Initial discussions with manufacturers are already underway.
Customers from all over Germany can choose different types of beer from currently seven different breweries. From around EUR 50 (USD 61) per keg the beer is delivered directly to the customer’s home by courier service within three to four working days. Shipping costs aroundt EUR 15 and is currently limited to Germany.
The beer is shipped in non-returnable stainless steel kegs that are not only shock and pressure-resistant, but also four times lighter than conventional stainless steel kegs thanks to a patented technology. According to the company, PET plastic kegs are not suitable for a courier delivery service as they are not sufficient pressure resistant and can leak or even explode during delivery.
Tapping can be done either with a flow cooler or with any conventional bar equipment. A low cost tapping head is part of every delivery and included in the price. Private users without a professional tap system can order a cheap party pump that is hand operated with air instead of CO2 gas. The empty keg can easily be squeezed and disposed of with household waste.
Volker Baumgartner who is in charge of sales operations at Q&G is enthusiastic about the new product. “Our kegs are ideal for home consumption. In addition to the tried and tested shipping directly from the brewery, the freshly filled beer will soon be available also on the mein-regionalmarkt.de internet platform and in local beverage stores,” says Baumgartner.
Baumgartner sees his offerings also as a replacement for the self-cooling CoolKeg which is no longer manufactured and which is still very popular with customers. The thin-walled WorldKegs can be cooled down to drinking temperature within twenty minutes only with two bags of ice, even in summer. Together with the party pump, kegs can easily be tapped at outdoor events like beach or garden parties, where people don't have electricity or gas bottles.
