Bud_light_beer_up
We had a chance to check out the Bottoms Up Beer Dispenser this afternoon at The Well. Early reviews? It's cool as a shit, but the implementation is a little bit of a let down.

Questions I've seen on Twitter and in the comments:

Will prices go up?

No. Even though the cups cost around 30 cents more (at least according to this article), prices will remain the same at stations using BUBD.

How many BUBDs will there be?

Good question. Four. No, not four stations, four individual dispensers in one unit, located at the 11th Street Atrium- at least to start. Ike Richman of Comcast Spectacor said they will see how it goes before adding additional stands. That's right, only one stand, serving Bud Light.

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Why Bud Light?

Because the lone kiosk is branded as the "Bud Light Bottoms Up Draught." Their logo is also on the magnet. Sorry, no other beers for now.

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How does the magnet work?

The magnet looks like a large poker chip that sits atop a small magnet-lined hole in the bottom of the cup. When placed on the dispenser, the metal tap (?) pushes up on the magnet (and I'm assuming holds onto it) and fills the cup with beer, cutting it off precisely as the head approaches the rim. A) That's what she said. B) They thought this through, folks. It works like magic.

Is it Magic?

No it is not.

Invisible gnomes?

No.

How long does it take to fill up?

Seven seconds. Exactly four seconds longer than Johan Santana.

How does the cup seal itself?

As mentioned above, when the cup is removed, the magnet is pulled back down to seal the small hole- shown below. Workers there said it was difficult to push up on the magnet and remove it while the cup was filled with beer. Although, it does seem rather easy to remove when finished, so you can take it home as a souvenir- if you're into that sort of thing.

Picture of the empty cup and video after the jump.

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Is there advertising on the magnet?

You bet your sweet ass. In this case, it's Bud Light. But this thing is just begging for a Cialis ad.

Is this Heaven?

No, it's the Wells Fargo Center.

UPDATE: Early reader report not good.