It's almost St. Patrick's Day, a time of the year when we celebrate our collective Irish heritage and drink the world's favorite nitro-style beer. But what is nitro beer, and what's the trick to serving nitro beers? Technically, nitro beers only contain about 70 to 75 percent nitrogen. A "Beer Gas" or Aligal or Guinness Gas is blended with three quarters nitrogen and one quarter carbon dioxide to make the beer – most often a stout – into a smoother and creamier product.

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.

* The following Art of Bar Design Q&A article with Greg Rodd, Sales Engineer Manager with Perlick, first appeared in the February edition of Foodservice Equipment & Supplies magazine. What makes for good bar design? The bar is a profit center. A well designed, efficient bar has the right equipment arranged to minimize bartender movement, which equals more drinks per hour and translates to higher profits.

It sounds like the unicorn of the bar and beverage world, but there is a beer faucet that increases profits and customer satisfaction at the same time. The Push Back Creamer from Perlick is a new option that allows operators to pour the perfect pint with just the right amount of foam every time. We've already established how much you can save with the right beer system by limiting the amount of beer wasted through excess foam, but by following the right guidelines with the right equipment, it's also possible to increase guest enjoyment.

The easiest way to get quick shipment on select Perlick Back Bar and Underbar equipment is through the new Perlick Express program. Perlick Express provides fast turnaround on select items, which are guaranteed to ship within 24 hours. Find out which items are included in the Perlick Express program by reading the Perlick Express Catalog.

Just over 100 years ago, Perlick was founded in a small shop on Reed Street here in Milwaukee. Over the course of the last century, we've introduced mechanical refrigeration to the industry, created the first remote beer system that can carry beer 100 feet, and have evolved into an industry leader in commercial bar and beverage equipment. And we have the Best-In-Class Awards to prove it.

Champagne, as we all know, is as closely tied with New Year's Eve as noisemakers, Times Square, and Dick Clark. As the ball drops, we lift up our flutes and toast to the promise of the coming year with the people we love. New Year's is a time to celebrate. But did you ever wonder why we do it with champagne? The short answer is there isn't one particular reason why we drink champagne on New Year's Eve. It's a long and complex association that is tied in with the history of champagne as much as anything. And that history has many chapters.

The Tobin Ellis Signature Cocktail Station was recently awarded the 2015 GOOD DESIGN™ Award from the Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies. Founded in 1950, GOOD DESIGN™ is the oldest and most recognized program for design excellence in the world. This year alone, the museum received several thousand submissions from the world's leading manufacturers from nearly 50 countries. Winners were selected in November.