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Crowdfunding opens on Japanese version of a gadget that makes any canned beer easier to drink

Katy Kelly Jun 14, 2021
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Turn even the cheapest convenience store beer into a classy little beer cup with this device!

Now that some travel advisory levels have lowered and the temperatures are creeping up, people are beginning to dream longingly about venturing out to hang out with people outside once more. Spreading out a picnic blanket, sitting a responsible distance apart from each other, and then grazing on snacks and drinks…what a beautiful fantasy!

There’s one element of the fantasy that American-based business Draft Top thinks they can improve upon. Imagine taking an ice-cold beer can from the cooler, and cracking it open. Pause. What comes next?

You lift the can to your mouth and purse your lips into the tiny opening like you are trying to French kiss it, in hopes of extracting some beer
You rummage in the picnic bag for some plastic cups, find none, and settle for pouring beer into a paper bowl and drinking it that way
You lift the beer can above your head and pour it down into your waiting mouth like a lion drinking from a waterfall

There has to be a better way to enjoy a canned beer on the go. And there is!

The Draft Top 2.0, which modifies the existing Draft Top sold in America to a size tailored to Japanese beverage cans, removes the top of the can altogether. Slot the can into the device and twist, and the top will slide off easily—and the device even neatly shaves away all those sharp edges and tucks them into a smooth, finished edge that’s safe to sip from without risking your lips.

Japan has been flirting with similar products recently, such as Asahi’s “draft beer in a can” and the “Nama-Jockey” which allows you to peel the whole top off in one go, but there’s a gap in the market for a product that will cleanly remove the top of any standard-sized can.

▼ This product really allows you to enjoy the sight, smell, and flavor of your canned beer.

The marketers even argue that canned beer tastes better without an intense cap of foam, and so this manner of opening it will minimize bubbles. A controversial take in these times, but a brave one!

Allegedly, sipping from beer in a cup-like can allows you to appreciate its malty flavor more directly than siphoning sips through a tiny keyhole opening. This also makes the empty can easier to clean, as you can rinse it out more easily before dropping it in a recycling bag. As an added bonus, the Draft Top 2.0 itself is light and small enough to tote around wherever you might need it—a garden party, a barbecue, or a park outing.

▼ It’s much easier to chug a canned beer in this form too, for what it’s worth.

The crowdfunding campaign is being hosted by Kibidango, who will also serve as the primary representative company for Draft Top in Japan. A range of rewards is offered for backers, including deeply discounted Draft Top 2.0 sets which have almost all been snatched up. A single Draft Top 2.0 can still be purchased through the crowdfunding campaign for a 13 percent discount — while the product ordinarily costs 4,000 yen (US$36.55), Kibidango is offering it for 3,500 yen.

The campaign offers additional bonuses like branded T-shirts, caps, and stabilizing cooler sleeves, that come at an additional cost. It certainly seems like a better option than the ham-fisted attempt we made to recreate a Nama-Jockey can with a normal can opener, so here’s hoping we can get our hands on one!

Related: Kibidango Draft Top 2.0 Campaign
Source, images: PR Times
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