Best: Overall

Rating: 10/10

A plug-in machine for the serious beer lover, these kegs come in a 6l (around 10.5 pints) size and are easy to click into the casing and hook up to the tap. Kegs can be chilled down to 3 degrees and the easy-pour pints are perfectly smooth. This bundle includes the machine, two kegs, a beer mat and two pint glasses. There are 18 other popular beer kegs in the PerfectDraft-compatible range, including Corona, Brewdog, Goose Island and Leffe Blonde, with prices starting at around £30 each. Owing to its popularity it’s currently out of stock, so make sure you sign up to the waiting list.

Best: Compact beer dispenser

Rating: 9/10

Load a beer “torp” (holds 2l which is just under four pints) into the sub, feed a rubber tube through to the tap and your perfect pint is almost ready to be poured. Speed the process up by keeping subs in the fridge first and the machine will take them colder to two-degrees. Stock up with Heineken and affiliated beers such as Birra Moretti, Tiger and Sol (from £8.99, Beerwulf.com). Really stylish and compact, it’ll take up the same space as a four-slot toaster. The drinks pour well, with a bit of practise on glass-tilting to get the right size of head on a pint.

Best: Battery-operated option

Rating: 7/10

This is a battery-operated tap that was launched by thirsty backers on Kickstarter. Don’t ask us how the magic happens, but we’re told it’s sound waves, rather than chemicals or canisters, taking any size of can or bottle beer and improving its flavour, aroma and “mouth feel”. We certainly noticed a creamier, denser head on lager and it was a big hit with our drinking buddies. It takes up about the same space as your kitchen blender, but hey, who needs smoothies? It’s currently on pre-order.

Best: High-end beer dispenser

Rating: 9/10

Attention, footballers and famouses! Too rich and recognisable to pop out to the pub but still fancy a pint? Bring the brewery home with this top-of-the-range, built-in beer tap for the kitchen. There’s no messing around here – this one will hook up to 10l, 30l or 50l kegs direct from your favourite brewery and is supplied with a CO2 canister, pub-style.

Easy to clean with the supplied disinfectant tabs, which should be used to flush out the “lines” every fortnight or so (tell your staff), it controls temperature from 4-8C and looks the absolute business. Installation can be done by proficient DIYers in possession of a drill – a hole is needed to feed the dispenser from a pump below, but you’ll need a two-cupboard decked space the width of a standard-size kitchen unit. Supplied screws are then used to fix the pump in place.

Best: Value

Rating: 7/10

Suitable for all drinks, but we say out with the lemonade, in with the beer! This is the item to have on your buffet spread, if the Hyacinth Bucket in you can’t stand the sight of a load of cans marking your marble tops. It will take 2.5l of your favourite tipple and keep it cold with a central core that you should fill with ice. No frills and drip tray with this one, so have a beer mat handy.

Best: For keeping beer cool

Rating: 8/10

This beer tap uses (supplied) CO2 pressurised cartridges to give just the right amount of fizz and flavour. It is also compatible with 5l kegs that you’re likely to find at your local brewery, rather than the high street. Keeps beer and lager chilled to perfection and looks like the real deal in any man/woman cave. It will take up three-quarters of the depth of most worktops, but is not as wide as the PerfectDraft system (£279.50, Beerhawk.co.uk).