At a look
Skilled’s Score
Professionals
- Energetic Pour faucet works properly
- Beer tastes good
- App has step-by-step directions
Cons
- Takes up numerous fridge area
- 10-pint kits are comparatively costly
Our Verdict
It’s taken three makes an attempt, however the Pinter 3 is an exceptionally easy strategy to make and serve great-tasting beer at dwelling and solves all the issues of its predecessors.
Value When Reviewed
Not out there within the US
Pinter is a London-based firm that set out a couple of years in the past with the mission of placing contemporary beer within the arms of wannabe brewers who wished a easy, dependable strategy to make ales, lager and different kinds of beer at dwelling.
The Pinter 3 is the most recent iteration of an all-in-one system that brews 10 pints of beer after which turns into a dispenser, letting your pour these 10 pints out of your fridge for as much as a month.
You purchase beer kits from Pinter which comprise every part it’s essential brew, from the stuff to sanitise the Pinter earlier than brewing to the yeast required for fermentation and – with some kits – hop oil to present your beer an additional kick.
Options & design
- Up to date ‘Energetic Pour’ faucet
- Lighter, recycled plastic building
The Pinter 3 addresses the issues and criticisms of the Pinter 2. One of many fundamental ones was that the faucet wasn’t actually as much as the job. It was designed to resolve the unique drawback of getting to open a valve on the again of the Pinter 1 with a view to pour a beer, however on the identical time letting CO2 escape and resulting in ‘flat’ beer for those who drunk it over a few weeks.
The redesigned faucet supposedly allowed beer to be poured at strain, however that meant you’d find yourself with a glass full of froth: all head and no beer.
Referred to as the Energetic Pour faucet, this newest design utterly solves these points. Beer not shoots out at excessive strain, and actually does ship a pub-style beer with the correct head.
The actually excellent news is that if in case you have a Pinter 2, you should buy this new faucet as an improve for £29.99.
Pinter
The Pinter 2 was made out of aluminium – as was its dock – however this made it heavy, particularly when stuffed with water, and so the Pinter 3 strikes again to a plastic physique and dock, utilizing partly recycled supplies.
The Pinter 3 is very easy to make use of, and it’s made virtually fool-proof due to a companion app
It weighs slightly below 2.5kg, an identical weight to the unique, and 45% lighter than the Pinter 2. It actually makes it simpler to elevate and shake when it’s time to combine the syrupy malt extract with chilly water earlier than including the yeast.
Jim Martin / Foundry
What hasn’t modified – not less than noticeably – is the design of the keg. It’s mainly similar to the Pinter 2 however with a rubber strip round it and rubber toes on the again. The contrasting two-tone plastic inside makes it easy to see if you’ve crammed it to the right degree, and the faucet unscrews for simple cleansing.
On the again is a carbonation dial (successfully a pressure-release valve) and a port for the ‘Hopper’, which is the place you add the hop oil after fermentation is completed.
Jim Martin / Foundry
The Pinter 3 is very easy to make use of, and it’s made virtually fool-proof due to a companion app. This consists of movies that stroll you step-by-step by means of the cleansing course of after which the brewing course of.
So long as you comply with the directions to the letter, you’ll find yourself with correctly fermented beer that tastes good.
Jim Martin / Foundry
On the time of evaluation, the movies hadn’t been up to date for the Pinter 3, however the variations are so minor, it didn’t trigger any issues.
Jim Martin / Foundry
The app additionally serves as a calendar and notifies you when it’s time to maneuver to the following stage, and you may select whether or not to make use of the shortest timings, prolonged occasions or your personal customized timeline.
In case you’re new to brewing, it’s possible you’ll be tempted to go along with shortest, nevertheless it’s smart to choose the prolonged to make sure fermentation has utterly completed and to present the beer extra time to situation for a better-tasting pint.
There are some negatives. It’s a reasonably large unit and doesn’t chill the beer. Meaning it takes up numerous area within the common fridge the place you’ll have to maintain it for not less than every week or two for conditioning and, after that, so it’s stored chilly and able to drink. Until you want hotter beer, you won’t be very fashionable with the remainder of your loved ones if it does imply there’s not sufficient area left for meals.
Plus, in case your fridge isn’t very deep, you’ll have to position it sideways and transfer it each time you need to pour a pint. Even when there’s sufficient depth, you’ll most likely have to drag it ahead so the faucet hangs over the sting every time.
The opposite drawback is which you can’t see how a lot beer’s left. That’s been a problem with each Pinter, although.
Final, however maybe least related, is that the system isn’t designed for bottling. You can bottle the beer, nevertheless it’s greatest to depart it within the keg.
Style
Whether or not you utilize a Pinter 2 or 3, beers will style the identical. And whether or not you suppose they’re nice or not will rely on what you want from a beer. To check the Pinter 3 I brewed the brand new Area Hopper: West Coast Version, a 7% DDH IPA.
Jim Martin / Foundry
Pinter has switched from plastic bottles to pouches, which may’t be recycled. That’s a little bit of a step backwards, however the firm says they use 84% much less packaging materials than bottles, and are extra environmentally pleasant to provide and, as a result of they’re lighter, to ship. It’s engaged on a recyclable model.
This is likely one of the beers that comes with a Hopper – a bottle of hop oil. Including this after fermentation is about as shut as you’re going to get to precise dry hopping with a Pinter.
And the beer tastes nice. Even after solely every week of conditioning (on prime of a full week of fermentation), it was just about able to drink and had intense bitterness and loads of citrus. A scent of sulphur indicated that maybe the yeast hadn’t absolutely completed its work and a bit extra time conditioning was wanted.
The beer tastes nice
Nonetheless, with the brand new faucet, pouring it was a mess-free affair, and carbonation was the very best of any beer I’ve brewed in all three Pinters.
Jim Martin / Foundry
Pinter affords a very good vary of beers, from lager and pilsner to wheat beer and hop-forward IPAs. In case you choose darker beers, there’s a brown ale and Darkish Matter, a great-tasting tasting stout that’s extra floral and fewer bitter than, say, Guinness.
Cider drinkers are catered for by a darkish fruit choice – Waltham Forest –and a stronger apple cider, the Complete 9 Yards. They’re no cheaper than the beers, although, which price both £17.99 or £19.99.
Just one is costlier: Pinter’s latest collaboration with Signature Brew: Roadie Remixed, a lower-ABV IPA which prices £22.
Jim Martin / Foundry
All of this implies a pint prices between £1.80 and £2.20, not together with the price of the Pinter itself.
Construct high quality
This evaluation wouldn’t be full with out mentioning high quality. Pinter has been beneath fireplace due to a couple of high quality points, starting from minor to main, with some leading to misplaced brews and ruined carpets.
As with the Pinter 1 and a couple of, I had no points in any respect with the Pinter 3. Admittedly, that’s for just one brew and it’s too early to say if there are any issues which is able to rear their head solely in the long run, resembling the flexibility to retain strain. Some homeowners report that their Pinter 2 loses strain after as few as 5 brews, although I haven’t had this drawback with my unit.
The Pinter 3 keg nonetheless, as with the second-gen model, feels a bit wobbly when perched on prime of the dock, however there was no leakage in any respect whereas transferring it from room to room or whereas fermenting.
It’s a lot simpler than the unique dock to suit and take away, and the one time issues get messy is if you take away it after brewing. Do this in a kitchen sink and that mess is contained, although.
Jim Martin / Foundry
The brand new faucet has no elastic retaining strap, nor a locking mechanism. But I had no points there both: it didn’t leak (save for a couple of drips after pouring a pint) and is simple to take away and refit: it simply clips on.
The one slight drawback I encountered was when utilizing the Hopper bottle. The hop oil didn’t need to drain into the Pinter 3 at first, however did finally, probably due to the strain contained in the keg.
As any brewer will inform you, cleanliness is likely one of the most vital guidelines and for those who maintain your Pinter clear after brewing and use the included sodium percarbonate to wash and “purify” it earlier than the following brew, you shouldn’t have any issues.
The method could be very easy, too, not least as a result of the app walks you thru washing every part as soon as the beer’s drunk but in addition simply earlier than you do your subsequent brew.
Although you gained’t discover them within the app there are numerous tips about Pinter’s web site for issues you are able to do to make your beer even higher. Past longer fermentation and conditioning occasions, you’ll be able to ‘chilly crash’ beer within the fridge earlier than eradicating the dock to take away extra of the yeast for higher readability, and you may rehydrate the dried yeast in tepid water as a substitute of emptying the packet straight into the Pinter.
Jim Martin / Foundry
There’s a discussion board on Pinter’s web site, in addition to unofficial teams resembling The Pinter on Fb the place you’ll be able to choose up extra ideas.
Value & availability
The Pinter 3 is offered solely within the UK. It is available in blue, gray and purple and prices £99 direct from Pinter.
Pinter
You’re prompted to decide on a beer which is able to both price you the conventional worth, or you’ll be able to select to subscribe to the Contemporary Beer Membership which suggests you get the primary one free, then every subsequent one prices £16.99 with free supply. You may cancel the subscription everytime you like.
In case you plan to brew frequently, it may be value shopping for a Co-Pinter for £69.99. That is simply the Pinter keg with out the dock, and it means you’ll be able to have one beer on faucet whereas brewing the following.
Verdict
The third time actually is the attraction: the Pinter 3 fixes its predecessor’s issues and is simpler to deal with as a result of it’s a lot lighter.
It’s actually able to making nice beer you’ll really need to drink and for those who join the Contemporary Beer Membership, pints are fairly affordable at £1.70.
The gadget itself is comparatively dear for what it’s, however not less than it’s cheaper than the Pinter 2.
Nonetheless, you shouldn’t purchase the Pinter as a money-saving train: it’s way more of a passion than a means of getting cheaper beer.