New two-part dispense system for Foster’s

Using the Foster’s Pourtal System, barstaff pour the beer normally at a 45-degree angle before switching to a smaller nozzle near the top of the glass.

The second nozzle fires a jet of tiny bubbles, creating a head for the beer and “locking in” the bubbles.

The new tap, which has taken more than two years to develop, is being backed by a multi-million pound training and marketing drive. Heineken UK said it hopes to have the dispense installed in 7,000 outlets within six months, and in a total of 30,000 outlets within two years.

Foster’s brand manager Nic Casby said: “Consumer tastes and expectations are becoming more sophisticated and more demanding. Research shows that where the Pourtal tap is in use, Foster’s drinkers are more than twice as likely to drink Foster’s again.”

Pourtal replaces Foster’s existing Head Injection Tap (HIT) technology, which was introduced more than a decade ago. “We’ve learned a lot of lessons from HIT. When it comes to training support, I don’t think we really did it properly last time round,” claimed Casby.

“This time, we have taken our entire 400-plus salesforce off the road for two weeks to train them up. We will ensure that each sales rep will train an outlet within 14 days of installation.”

The phased rollout will be backed by PoS, which includes posters promoting Pourtal’s benefits.