A lot of timber has been turning up at the Australian Brews News bunker his week, most notably an enormous packing crate containing a keg of Sagres emblazoned ‘Direct from Portugal’.

I’m always a bit bemused when a beer such as this makes a big splash of being fully imported from a country. As parent company Heineken has shown, if the sales grow to the point to justify it, they will have no hesitation brewing it here under licence. Thew will then crank their PR machines to say that the beer hasn’t changed and the origin really doesn’t matter.

If the Italians go for ‘brewed with style’ to sell their beers, I would be interested to know what the defining national PR characteristic is for Portuguese beers. When I tried the beer I was straight away reminded of the last time that I had a beer at a good Tapas restaurant, as the beer shared many characteristics of the multitude of enjoyable Spanish beers available these days. Perhaps not surprising given the two countries share the Iberian Peninsula. That geographical note drains my store of knowledge of Portugal and its culture, other than they once sailed a bit.

The kegs are a handy packaging type, handy for a party and I am sure they would drain quickly before anyone risked frostbite digging into the bottom of the esky. As noted below, they last for 30 days when opened – which you’d hope for a container of this sze. The beer itself has a rounded maltiness and a creamy mouthfeel, perhaps enhanced by the ‘draught’ packaging, and an earthy lingerng bitterness . It’s a perfectly drinkable substitute for your current Euro lager, especially if you think Portuguese is the new Italian in the style stakes. Making the most of the Bintang Effect, it would really come into its own in in a Tapas bar or whatever is the Portuguese equivalent.

Media Release:
Enjoy the fresh taste of premium draught beer wherever you are this Easter long weekend with the launch of the Sagres DraughtKeg.

Lovers of the popular DraughtKeg will now be spoilt for choice with Portugal’s number one beer, Sagres, joining the world’s largest international premium beer, Heineken, in the take-anywhere DraughtKeg format.

Brewed to a traditional method stemming back to 1940, Sagres is a fully-imported premium beer using only the highest quality natural ingredients and finest hops to provide the genuine drinking experience.

With this year’s extended Easter long weekend, there will be more time to spend with family and friends – so make sure you have the freshest tasting beer possible at hand with Sagres DraughtKeg. Developed for sharing between friends, Sagres DraughtKeg serves up to 20 glasses and can be stored fresh for up to 30 days after opening.

The easy-to-use, portable DraughtKeg is the essential addition to your Easter long weekend and thanks to its unique carbonator, will ensure you and your friends have perfectly poured beer right down to the last drop.

The DraughtKeg is a true break-through innovation in beer taking seven years to develop the technology. The specially designed 5-litre keg is simple to function, allowing anyone to be the consummate beer pourer.

The Sagres DraughtKeg is available for a limited time only at Dan Murphy’s stores nationally.

We hope you enjoy your Sagres DraughtKeg experience.

Notes to Editor:

To have the best Sagres DraughtKeg experience possible, follow these simple steps:

1. Chill the DraughtKeg for a minimum of 10 hours and ensure the glass on the “ColdIndicator” has turned blue before opening.

2. Employ the easy-to-follow instructions for installing the tap located on the keg.

3. Use a chilled, freshly rinsed glass and begin your pour with it at a 45-degree angle tothe tap and then straighten up when its three-quarters full to achieve the perfecthead.

4. Remember the first few glasses will be foam just like a normal keg.

About the DraughtKeg:The DraughtKeg is an integrated pressurised and disposable system with mini tapcomponents in a lightweight steel keg. After being pre-chilled at 5-degrees Celsius,consumers simply need to click on the easy-to-install tap tube and the keg is ready to draftbeer.The complete system weighs 5.5 kilograms and contains 5-litres of beer. The beer staysfresh for up to 30 days after opening and the beer is dispensed under CO2 pressure, rightdown to the last glass with an average of 20 glasses being dispensed.Inside the keg is a unique and patented carbonator pressure unit, releasing CO2 to keep thepressure at one bar. This allows for a crisp quality beer with the right head of foam and theright ‘bite’. The constant pressure also allows the beer to be dispensed through a tap tubeon top.