KLM in-flight draft beer rollout delayed

KLM will not be tapping beer on board its airplanes this month as planned. The company has developed a beer tap trolley to pour a fresh beer at high altitude, but KLM was unable to obtain the certification needed to put the trolley into use this July, a spokesman for the airline told Luchtvaartnieuws.nl. Drafting beer at this altitude is made more difficult as the beer sprays too hard from the tap due to carbon dioxide pressurization. It prompted Heineken to develop a new keg system that works using air pressure instead of CO2 cannisters. This also means that beer can be poored at altitudes up to ten kilometres, says Heineken marketing manager Lennart Boorsma. The system is now also incorporated into a trolley which can be pushed up and down airplane aisles. The trolley does not have enough space for a cooling system, so beer is chilled before departure outside of the aircraft. It is then transported in insulation, keeping the beer crisp for a cool eight hours. KlM wanted to use the tap last Saturday on a flight to Curaçao. The company has been working together with Heineken for years. In addition to the beer trolley, the two partnered on the development of KLM’s New World Business Class lounge at Schiphol, and in the Dutch sustainable Growth Coalition. Heineken beer is also server on board the Dutch airlines flights