WITH VIDEO: Shulertown Market food truck court is filling beers from the bottom up

 

They say there is more than one way to skin a cat, and while that might be true, actually skinning a cat seems like a terrible idea, and is something that will probably land you in jail.

Filling a beer, however, seems like a pretty harmless thing to do (considering you’re of legal drinking age and don’t have alcohol dependency problems). As evidenced by a new system in place at Shulertown Market food truck court, apparently there is more than one way to do that, too.

Since opening last month, bartenders at the new food truck court have been filling beers from the bottom up using a relatively new system called Bottoms Up Beer.

Owner Zac Wooden said he got the idea to install the system a few years ago.

A customizable, flat magnet seals the cup after it’s lifted from the tap.

As owner of Rogers Rec and 21st Amendment, Wooden said it drives him crazy to see money going down the drain (literally, in the form of foam) when using traditional tap systems.

“I’ve never liked draft beer because of the loss associated with it,” he said. “I saw the Bottoms Up System online a few years back, and kind of stored it away in my mind for a future project.”

How does it work? The system uses special cups outfitted with a hole and a metal ring in the bottom. A flat, round magnet sits over the hole and creates a seal. When the cups are placed on the taps, they fill automatically through the hole until they reach capacity. When the beer is lifted off the tap, the magnet reseals the cup.

The result? A much more efficient bar in several ways.

Wooden said the system pours four times faster than a traditional tap and averages about 95 percent keg yield when everything is working properly. Plus, he said, bartending is all about multi-tasking, and a single bartender can pour up to eight beers at once with the system while still interacting with customers, taking orders, or closing tabs. It all makes for a much more customer-friendly atmosphere.

As far as he knows, Shulertown is the first bar in Fayetteville with the system, though Wooden said he expects other places to get on board once they’ve seen it in action. He said he isn’t sure if he’ll retrofit his other establishments with the systems, but he’ll definitely be installing them on any future projects.

It’s a pretty interesting little contraption. Watch the video above to see it in action.