In today’s digital age, what was “hip” a week ago is likely old news by now. Trends and tastes are changing faster than ever, and nowhere is that more prevalent than with bar and beverage selections. The group with both the influence and the buying power spearheading these changes are Millennials.

The Tobin Ellis Signature Cocktail Station is one of Perlick's greatest innovations over our first 100 years as a company. With the rise of craft cocktails, bars needed an easy way to maintain quality while increasing quantity. And when you increase quantity, you obviously increase profits.

Over the past several weeks, we've looked back at the last century to see how far we've come in the world of bar and beverage. From the 1917 wine vintages in Europe to cocktail trends through the decades, it's been fun reminiscing about what bars were serving 100 years ago. But now we'd like to take a look at why Perlick is here and the reasons we're still in business after all these years. Let's take a look back at 100 years of bar and beverage equipment innovations.

As the entire country gathers around the television on Super Bowl Sunday, we’ll all have our rooting interests. Some will be pulling for their favorite team and others will be rooting for the host to announce, “The wings are ready!” However, a good number of us will have far more interest in the commercials than the football game itself. Ask someone about their favorite play in the Big Game or their favorite commercial and we bet they’ll recite the advertisement first!

The year 1917 began with our nation on the brink of World War I, which would eventually happen a few months later when President Woodrow Wilson declared war on Germany. On a different gridiron, the New Year began with Oregon beating Pennsylvania in the third annual Rose Bowl. And throughout the year and across the country, bars, saloons, and taverns were as popular as ever. But what were bars serving 100 years ago?

Oktoberfest is one of the most celebrated beer-drinking events in the entire world. Though the original began in Munich in 1810 as part of a wedding celebration between Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese, the event has spread across the world as an annual celebration of German culture, music, food, and beer.

Getting your beer system right on the first try is critical. And to get it right, beer system engineers have to consider all the hard questions and not gloss over the details. But what are those questions, and what are some of the correct answers?

To begin, it's important to ask what kind of pressure source do you need?

This is determined by the distance of your beer run, as well as the changes in elevation when comparing your cooler to your dispensing station. This will determine whether you should use carbon dioxide or a CO2/nitrogen blend. In addition, if your draft beer program includes a popular nitro beer or you're serving wine-on-tap, a 25/75 blend of carbon dioxide to nitrogen will be needed.

Beer system

Unlike what some might say, building a beer system isn't as simple as asking a few questions. It's not as easy as 1-2-3. At the same time, it's not rocket science, either. So what makes a good beer system? It's components.

The Perlick factory just outside of Milwaukee can be a large and overwhelming place. But if you know what to look for, it can also be an eye opening place that sheds light on the whole Perlick philosophy. One of the easiest ways to learn about Perlick is to go behind-the-scenes.

Quality and innovation are the names of the game. From back bar refrigeration to spool after spool of beer lines, as you walk the floor of the Perlick factory, you can see a lot of factors that contribute to quality and innovation. Here are the top three:

THE HUMAN ELEMENT

The people make Perlick. Every day, our highly trained engineers, machinists, testers, trainers, and entire staff create the quality that we ship to our customers. From soldering to polishing, our equipment might operate like a science, but it's created like an art.

ATTENTION TO DETAIL

We're in the beer business, and we believe people should drink quality beer. Part of that

Looking to build a profitable beer dispensing system? We know what you need, and we know profit is the bottom line. That’s why our engineers have poured over our systems to ensure they run as efficiently as possible.

Our systems reduce waste to make sure you get the biggest bang for your buck when you choose a Perlick Beer System.

WHAT MAKES A PERLICK BEER SYSTEM PROFITABLE?

1. 1. Our Exclusive Empty Keg Sensor: Our tapping device knows when the keg is empty and shuts off beer flow. It simultaneously leaves the line filled with beer, which means no beer is wasted while you change out your kegs. It’s the only keg coupler on the market with an integral shut-off device.
2. 2. Our Copper Coolant Lines: Copper coolant lines are 17% more efficient than poly lines.
3. 3. ArcticPOUR Split Deck Technology: Choose Perlick Beer Systems for ArcticPOUR Split Deck Technology. It is the ONLY sys