I am a fan of beer machines at home. The popularity of machines that offer pub-standard pints at home spiked during lockdown and has continued to rise as manufacturers launch more and updated beer machines.
The range of beer machines to use at home is extensive. At the bottom of the range are the pourers that fit cans or bottles you can buy in any supermarket or off license. The £40 cooling beer tower is ideal for those who want something that looks good and can be used at parties.
For something that offers drinks a bit closer to a pub-standard pint the BeerWulf Sub is an excellent choice. At £170 it is one of the cheaper options on the market and can fit mini 'Subs' that pour a little under four pints. I have used a Sub for a couple of years and find it to be ideal for the odd drink at home. The range of Subs available is excellent and service and delivery is superb.
The PerfectDraft Pro is our pick for the best at-home beer machine. Offering easy pouring for a perfect pub-standard pint, we also loved the chilling options, machine display and connected app. The choice of 6-litre keg is extensive and the machine looks and feels like a premium option. This is the best beer machine on the market.
However, the Sub does stumble when it comes to entertaining. The smaller Subs are limited in size and that means you will need some fridge space to cool replacements if you have a few people all using the machine at the same time. Larger machines with bigger kegs offer better options here and promise pints that are even closer to those that you get at the pub.
The industry leader for these is PerfectDraft. The PerfectDraft machine comes in at a very reasonable £200 and chills beer to 3 degrees Celsius. It keeps beer fresh for a month and delivers around 10 pints per keg. The machine is incredibly easy to use and delivers pub-standard pints on tap.
The PerfectDraft Pro sits somewhere towards the top of the range when it comes to at-home beer machines. The next steps up would be machines used by pop-up bars at events and in pubs and restaurants. Priced at £315, it is more expensive than the PerfectDraft but adds a host of new functionality.
Chief among the new additions is the smart pour technology, which is instantly noticeable compared to the Sub and PerfectDraft machine. Pouring a pint is easy and there is very little unwanted foam, which can be a particular bugbear of mine with at-home beer machines. In fact, the pint looked and tasted exactly how it would in a pub.
The pint was chilled to perfection and that is another improvement brought in by the PerfectDraft Pro. There is a temperature control, allowing you to set the temperature anywhere between 0 and 10 degrees Celsius. This can also be done via the app, which connects to the machine and allows you to manage the machine from anywhere.
A third major update is the chilling time. The machine cools a keg in time to drink in 10 hours compared to the PerfectDraft's 12 hour suggestion. You can cut this time down by placing kegs in the fridge first to bring them to the correct temperature but if you do not have space for the six-litre kegs you may find this the major frustration.
The PerfectDraft Pro is also bigger than the PerfectDraft but while it is quite large for the average kitchen, the rectangular shape is a bit easier to slot into place than the cylinder-shaped Sub.
The final consideration is the range of beers and ales on offer. The pack comes with Stella, which I do not find particularly appealing. Even the new 'unfiltered' has a chemical taste that is unappealing even to somebody who enjoys a mainstream lager. However, the other options are superb. You have the choice of Becks, Budweiser and Camden Hells, as well as more niche beers such as Leffe and Kwak.
You can even get Hawkestone Lager, made from ingredients from Jeremy Clarkson's farm, as well as cider, wheat beer, fruit beer and more. The choice is strong enough to meet most needs and matches that of main rival Beerwulf and the Sub.
I enjoy a beer at home and I have been using the Beerwulf Sub for a while now. Would I upgrade to the PerfectDraft Pro full time? After using it for the first time I am extremely tempted. The temperature control, the display showing how much is left in the keg and display provide important quality of life improvements and the smart pour technology is a genuine revolution for beer machines you can use at home. This is the closest you will get to pub quality beer at home and it is the best machine on the market today.
PerfectDraft Pro Review:
Price: The price of £315 is reasonable for the build quality and ease of use. I am a complete convert to the PerfectDraft Pro.
What we thought: The only caveat it comes with is that the kegs are large. If you struggle for fridge space, or if you want a beer machine for one or two pints a week then a smaller model such as the Sub still offer better value. If you entertain or enjoy a beer at home on a regular basis it is hard to argue against a PerfectDraft Pro. It is a fantastic piece of kit and one that any beer lover will be delighted to own.