Marc Thorpe designs a mini draught beer dispenser for Stella Artois
New York-based Marc Thorpe has become the latest designer to produce a compact draught beer dispenser with a design for Stella Artois that was created for small restaurants and bars (+ slideshow).
![Stella Artois Nova by Marc Thorpe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/09/Stella-Artois-Nova_beer-dispenser_Marc-Thorpe_dezeen_468_7.jpg)
The self-contained unit, called Stella Artois Nova, is designed for a counter or bar top, and relies on special 12-litre glass beer vessels supplied by the company, rather than hooking to a standard keg.
At 24 inches long (61 centimetres), 28 inches high (71 centimetres), and 15 inches across (38 centimetres), the dispenser takes up far less space than conventional beer draughts.
![Stella Artois Nova by Marc Thorpe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/09/Stella-Artois-Nova_beer-dispenser_Marc-Thorpe_dezeen_468_9.jpg)
Made of high-density injection-moulded plastic, the double-layer dispenser uses compressed gas to create the pressure for the pour. It also contains a cooler that can bring the full vessel to the correct temperature in four hours.
"The vision of this project was to design a best-in-class draught experience to be shared at bars and restaurants that did not previously have this capability," said Thorpe. "Stella Artois Nova brings a new draught experience that celebrates the essence of this culture by bringing the standards, technology and rituals of Stella Artois to life."
![Stella Artois Nova by Marc Thorpe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/09/Stella-Artois-Nova_beer-dispenser_Marc-Thorpe_dezeen_468_2.jpg)
His design follows a similar product by Marc Newson, who teamed with Heineken and Krups to create a barrel-shaped dispenser intended for home use last year. Newson's design holds two-litre vessels of beer that must be ordered from Heineken.
Thorpe works in architecture, furniture design, packaging, branding and graphics for a variety of companies including Moroso, Under Armour, Mercedes Benz, and L'Oreal.
![Stella Artois Nova by Marc Thorpe](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/09/Stella-Artois-Nova_beer-dispenser_Marc-Thorpe_dezeen_468_4.jpg)
"In the United States we tend to categorise things – put things in boxes – and it sort of limits the designer," he told Dezeen in an interview earlier this year. "Whereas in Europe I found it very different, the sort of approach of understanding what a designer is, and that a designer can pretty much do anything"
Stella Artois is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, which also owns beer brands including Budweiser, Corona, Becks, Leffe, and Hoegaarden.