The strange world of beer
Self service
by Lubomir Sedlak
Chocolate, fizzy drinks, over-priced bottles of water; this is the usual stuff dispensed from vending machines, but beer is soon to join the line up.
Czech brewery Plzensky Prazdroj (owners of Pilsner Urquell) has begun to sell its beer in vending machines. Spokesman Vladimír Jurina says that as far as he knows, this is a world first. The specially made machine will only serve those who insert an identification card or passport which will then be checked for date of birth. If the person is underage, the coins will fall out again (and data from the ID will be erased).
Beer aficionados should not worry that their favourite drink will be too frothy after the can drops into the tray. It will also be sufficiently chilled, assures Karel Stibor of Future Art who co-invented the self-service device.
The vending machines will only be selling beers made by Plzensky Prazdroj, Jurina told Beers of the World and added: “In all cases it will be its flagship lager Pilsner Urquell and the non-alcoholic Birell plus one more beer that would be most popular in the respective location such as Gambrinus, Kozel or Radegast.” An ID requirement notwithstanding, the brewery does not want the vending machines in places frequented by people under 18 years old. They will thus be primarily at airports and in hotels or student hostels (one prototype has in fact already for several months been in use at one such hall of residence in Prague).
The company that developed t.....
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By Sally Toms
Section : Beer Matters
Page number : 42
