Ever end up on the top of an epic peak or set up camp in the perfect spot and wish you could enjoy nature’s beauty with a nice beer?y This is exactly what Patrick Tatera, founder of Pat’s Backcountry Beverages, thought back in 1997 when hiking in Canyonlands National Park. He and a buddy had just set up camp. Since they were traveling light, caned and bottled beverages were out of the question. High, dry, and sober, daydreaming for a better solution ensued. Fast-forward to present day and now Pat has created a compact carbonation system that allows you to make a beer or soda from any treated water source without having to deal with the weight and waste of a full can of suds–Pat even claims his system reduces weight by 87% and waste by 89%.
Carbonator Bottle Starter Kit:
I tested the Carbonator Bottle Starter Kit which retails for $49.95. This includes a carbonator bottle, six activators & five all natural sodas–everything you need to start making carbonated beverages. More importantly, we tested the two available beer concentrates, Pale Rail & Black Hops. Additional packs of soda and beer concentrate retail from $8-$10 and include either concentrate for six sodas or four beers.
How to use:
Step #1: Fill carbonator bottle with a small amount of treated water.
Step #2: Set aside reaction cup and attach cap. Invert and pump the cap's lever six times out to 45 degrees.
Step #3: Remove cap and add desired drink mix.
Step #4: Fill bottle to 16 oz. fill line with treated water. Add packet of activator to the small reaction cup. Attach reaction cup to the bottom of the cap and secure to the carbonator bottle.
Step #5: Pump lever six times to 45 degrees, then lock the lever. This activates the carbonation process.
Step #6: Shake side to side (and side to side only) for one to two minutes. Then let sit for a minute.
Step #7: Slowly open lever past 45 degrees until you hear the pressurized air fizzing out of the bottle.
Step #8: Remove the cap and imbibe while your editor takes awkward staged photos of you drinking soda.
The Hard Truth:
In our excitement to start drinking beer well before lunch, it took a careless attempts to master the steps, and some terrible tasting beer, to really dial in the carbonation process. I would recommended watching the instructional video on Pat' Backcountry Beverages site and having the instructions directly in front of you each time you make a drink. This is not the simplest product to use and I would recommend trying it once or twice before you take it into the backcountry. And definitely take the paper instructions with you when you do–even after nailing the process once and producing a delicious ginger ale, we screwed up the beer the following attempt.
The activator solution is two separate containers of citric acid and potassium bicarbonate. Mix the solution well in the reaction cup before attaching to the bottom of the cap. When attaching the reaction cup to the cap only screw it on finger tight. Every time I really cranked down on it we ended up with a more flat drink, as the carbonation was never really able to leave the cap.
When shaking back and forth for two minutes, shake violently. I don't think they made that explicit in the directions or video.
Ginger Ale: We had the most success with carbonating the soda mixtures, particularly the ginger ale. I was skeptical at first if this whether this could actually create quality carbonated beverages, and was pleasantly surprised with the soda concentrates. It was just as good as a Canada Dry or Schweppes. I could definitely see myself mixing it with some Jack Daniels at a remote campsite. There were also a handful of other soda options that seems like quality mixers, so if liquor if more your style of campfire buzz, the Pat's setup could double as a water bottle during the day, and then come out for a nice mixed drink at night.
Pale Rail Pale Ale: This beer is Pat's version of a pale ale. When carbonated, the beers we were not as successful as with the sodas. After multiple attempts following the exact same process, the best result achieved was a beer that tasted like it'd been out for a few hours. It was hard to get these beers not to taste flat, but the taste was surprisingly decent.
Black Hops: This is Pat's attempt at creating a porter, but it was pretty disgusting. Unlike the Pale Rail, it had a much more syrupy consistency and left a strange aftertaste. After a couple of sips, it was hard to finish. The Pat's guys assured us it was harder to master the beers and took some more refined techniques.
The Bottom Line:
If you are looking for a more lightweight and environmentally-friendly alternative that hiking or skiing around with cans, this is a passable option. I'd highly recommend any of the soda mixtures, as they carbonated easily. Mixing one of these with some sort of hard alcohol would be a pleasant end to any day. If you are really want to travel light weight and enjoy a beer, go with the Pale Rail and skip the Black Hops. Personally, I'd just throw a couple tall boys in my pack, or a flask, and call it a day. The novelty of the Pat's setup doesn't seem to justify the hassle of dealing with the complicated steps that are easy to mess up and clearly difficult to master, although we have seen other consumer reviews that suggest it's just a process to master.
While evo doesn't carry the Pat's setup, they do carry a solid selection of water bottles, tumblers, pints, and flasks that are backcountry ready.
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About The Author
stash member Teton Gravity Research
It all began with a dream and a little cash scraped together from fishing in Alaska... Since 1995, we've been an action sports media company committed to fueling progression through our ground-breaking films (37 and counting) and online content.
alexpaul
May 23rd, 2018
This sounds to be a very handy stuff to me. Even the preparation of the drinks is quite easy this way and we can easily have computer running slow carbonated drinks this way. And it will be easy to carry this around.