Heineken has announced a new plug-and-pour delivery system that allows draught beer to be served almost anywhere.

Available in the UK as of this month and pending release in a number of markets, the Heineken Blade system is a tabletop device that dispenses cold draught lager without the need for beer pumps and gas canisters. Heineken is marketing the device as a plug-and-pour system that allows businesses and consumers to serve chilled draught beer from any countertop.

The promotional video on the UK website for the Heineken Blade system gives an idea of the sort of applications that Heineken had in mind when it launched the product. The short video shows the Blade being used in a variety of settings including hairdressers, small cafes and outdoor catering events such as street food markets – anywhere that might sell beer but doesn’t have the space or the funds to install a traditional beer pump system and pay for regular-size kegs.

With the Heineken Blade retailing around the £500 mark with compatible eight-litre kegs at £23.99, it provides small business owners with an alternative to bottled beer. The keg keeps beer fresh for 30 days at a cool 2°C and bypasses the need for gas canisters with an air compression system saving money and space. By creating the Blade specifically for businesses with limited space, Heineken has theoretically created a whole new range of sales opportunities for itself.

The promotional video also shows the Blade being used in what appears to be a domestic setting, positioning the system as an aspirational product for use at home. With a footprint roughly the same as an A4 piece of paper, the Blade is small enough to fit in a kitchen or dining room, offering the experience of on-premise drinking at home, similar to a Nespresso machine. Whilst Heineken has offered at-home draught dispensers before, the BeerTender and The Sub, these were targeted primarily at the domestic market. The Blade marks the first dispensing solution targeted primarily at small businesses.