dolmen-designed guinness microdraught 2.0 brings iconic two-part pour anywhere

red dot design award winner: Guinness MicroDraught 2.0

For a refreshing pint at any sized hospitality or bar setup, the Guinness MicroDraught 2.0 gives consumers the iconic two-part ‘pull and pour’ in the form of a plug-and-play beer dispense technology. Winner of the 2023 Red Dot Design Award, the compact system enables nitrogen bubbles to form through in-pour ultrasonics activation, as opposed to the gas cylinder and keg used in the traditional system. A user-friendly layout and intuitive digital interface tops off the design.

Guinness MicroDraught 2.0 by Guinness and Dolmen wins the 2023 Red Dot Design Award

all images courtesy of Red Dot Design Award

dolmen collaborates with guinness

The renowned global design competition platform encompasses multiple disciplines, including product design, communication projects, brands, prototypes, and concepts. Winning a Red Dot distinction signifies outstanding design and is widely recognized as a mark of excellence. Among the roughly 20,000 submissions received by the Awards, Guinness MicroDraught 2.0 stood out and joined the esteemed list of award-winning companies, becoming the first-ever brand to win a Red Dot award for beer dispensing in 2022 and this year’s win with MicroDraught becoming their fourth Red Dot award in two years.

‘Our team Dolmen is incredibly proud to be back here at the Red Dot Design Awards in 2023 to celebrate the award win of Guinness MicroDraught 2.0. We’ve been partners with Guinness for 18 years, and this partnership recently has produced four Red Dot wins. The latest is this year. It’s an incredible accolade for our team. It’s an incredible inspiration for us to continue with this innovation frontier,’ begins Chris Murphy – Design Director and CEO at Dolmen.

a team of innovators, designers, and taste experts who aimed to bring the world-famous stout to more places and spaces

The two-year work on the Irish beer dispense device involved a team of innovators, designers, and taste experts as well as collaboration from in-house design company Dolmen (see here). All were united in the mission to bring the world-famous stout to more places and spaces. While MicroDraught 1.0 created the breakthrough dispense platform to eliminate the role of traditional gas cylinders when serving refreshing draught on tap, MicroDraught 2.0 uses ultrasonic technology to advance the concept further into a low-complexity, low-energy, gravity-pour system.

‘Guinness is a brand that has a huge legacy and tradition of innovation and creativity, and I think this project is a brilliant example where design and technology can help create a breakthrough innovation that really contributes to the growth of the brand,’ adds Kathryn Wilson, Design Lead for Guinness.

the ground-breaking feature of the product lies in its patented double coaxial piercing system

MicroDraught 2.0 uses IN-POUR ULTRASONICS and GRAVITY FEED INSTEAD OF TRAditional GAS CYLINDER

The ground-breaking attribute of the product lies in a new ‘pull and pour’ valve technology, acting in tandem with in-pour ultrasonics similar to that first introduced on the multi-award winning, Guinness Nitrosurge. This device punctures a specially designed can filled with the same Guinness found in kegs poured at pubs worldwide. By using these new technologies in place of a gas cylinder, the system delivers a two-part pour with the characteristic surge and settle, serving a cold and smooth taste loved by Guinness enthusiasts globally. Through the combination of the two features, the company is on a mission to deliver effortless, gravity-fed beer dispense.

‘The key facet that really made this project so successful, is the collaboration of so many people with different skill sets. We have designers, we have people who have been able to develop new technology, and we’ve got master brewers,’ adds Kathryn Wilson.

kathryn wilson (design lead for guinness) and chris murphy (dolmen’s design director and CEO) share insights on the red dot design award-winning product

Consumers are given the pleasure of seeing the effortless pour of their Guinness Draught and see those nitrogen bubbles fall into their pint. The development of MicroDraught 2.0 enables bars, restaurants, and hotels to enjoy the fresh beer on tap, regardless of their size and setup. Precisely, the device represents one of the most significant technological advancements for the beer company since the introduction of the widget in 1988.

‘We’re here to celebrate a Red Dot win for an amazing product: the Guinness MicroDraught 2.0. Guinness is famous for its two-part pour, surge and settle. It’s the world’s most iconic nitrogen beer, which means it cascades with beautiful nitrogen bubbles during the pour. It makes it mesmerizing to watch, but very difficult to recreate. What MicroDraught does is it simplifies the pouring process. It allows you to pour without complex equipment, anywhere in the world at any time,’ adds Chris Murphy.

by using an air pump instead of gas, the system delivers a two-part pour with the characteristic surge and settle

the technology eliminates the role of traditional gas cylinders to enable draught on tap anywhere, for any occasion

designboom partners with Red Dot Design Award to announce a selection of 2023 winners in exclusive video interviews. The series highlights the inventive, artistic and undeniably designed ideas of the award winners. Watch the full set of videos – here.

Founded in Germany in 1954, the Red Dot Design Award is an annual competition that recognizes the best of design. From robot technology to vehicles and household aids, the competition is pursued by companies and studios as a credible endorsement of their design excellence. Awarded works receive the winner’s label, certificates, and invitation to the awarding ceremony where Red Dot awardees are presented on stage. Moreover, the winning products are granted publication in the yearbook, as well as exhibited at Red Dot website’s online exhibition and at the Red Dot Design Museum Essen, Germany.

project info:

name: Guinness MicroDraught 2.0

in-house design: Dolmen Design and Innovation

manufacturer: Guinness, Dublin, Ireland

award: Red Dot Design Award | @reddotdesignaward
distinction: Red Dot
category: Kitchen Appliances and Kitchen Accessories

product type: Beer Dispense System