Double English introduces DraftShaft (TM) at Great American Beer Festival

Innovative Cue Stick combines Beer and Billiards like never before

Double English, LLC, a developer of creative consumer products, introduced its DraftShaft product at the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colorado. DraftShaft is a patent pending pool cue that allows any standard beer tap handle to be connected to a cue shaft. This combination combination creates an attractive and useful pool cue. DraftShaft is the “short stick” which every pool table needs, so players can shoot when a pole or wall is too close to the billiards table. Every billiards table needs a short cue and DraftShaft is a short cue with your favorite beer brand as an integral part of the cue.

Brewers have long used creative, eye-catching beer tap handles to market their brews in bars and restaurants and wherever draft beer is served. Beer tap handles, while serving as attractive marketing devices, also have a functional purpose, dispensing beer from draft beer faucets. Over 25,000 different beer tap handles are available to collectors. Beer drinkers enjoy their beer brands and a thriving collector’s market exists for beer tap handles. Each week, thousands of beer tap handles are purchased by collectors.

Beer and billiards have been together since the 1500’s, when billiard tables were introduced into European taverns. Draft beer is poured by controlling the flow of beer with a beer tap handle attached to a beer faucett. Traditionally, only bartenders were permitted to handle Beer tap handles. Collectors mostly displayed their acquired beer tap handles on walls or pedastal fixtures, exhibiting the many different types of handles as objects of art. As beautiful as many of these creations are, beer tap handles were made to be handled. DraftShaft allows consumers to handle
the handles.

Over fifty million people played pool in North America last year. Billiards has been enjoyed over the ages by many famous players including Thomas Jefferson, Mary Queen of Scots, WC Fields and King Louis XI of France. Originally a game played by royalty and nobles, today millions of people enjoy playing the game on recreational pool tables in their homes. Home pool tables are convenient for playing, however often there is inadequate open space to allow unobstructed pool shots from every angle. DraftShaft allows players to make good shots on a pool table even when obstructed conditions are present.

The beer industry has experienced much consolidation in recent years, however the Brewers Association reports there are presently 1,463 brewers in the United States. Most of these brewers serve the craft beer market, a segment of the beer industry that has enjoyed healthy growth, reporting 2008 half year sales up 11% over 2007. See http://beertown.org/craftbrewing/statistics.html

DraftShaft allows brewers of all sizes to get their beer brands into the hands of consumers, in a novel and memorable way. DraftShaft enables players to attach their favorite beer tap handles to a pool cue shaft, creating a functional and atheistically attractive short pool cue. Many beer tap handles have shape and weight characteristics that make them ideal for use as a pool cue handle, or “butt”. Any standard beer handle may be attached to a Draft Shaft cue. For example, a summer brew beer handle might be used during one season, then swapped for an Octoberfest handle in the fall. Engineered to connect to all standard beer tap handles, changing the handle on a Draft Shaft cue is as simple as unscrewing the handle currently connected to the cue shaft, then connecting any new beer tap handle of choice. DraftShaft allows players to enjoy a game of pool with their favorite brews in hand.

Product Availability

DraftShaft products are available at http://www.doubleenglish.com . Draft Shaft is a two piece pool cue which includes a beer tap handle and cue shaft. Draft Shaft CYO (Connect Your Own) is a shaft-only product, for connecting to your own beer tap handles. Double English is offering Draft Shaft to breweries that wish to place their tap handles directly into the hands of consumers, in a new and memorable way.

About Double English

Double English, LLC, based in Greenbush, Massachusetts, develops novelty and recreational products for consumers. Founded in 2008, the company's mission is to put fun in the hands of consumers. For further information, visit http://www.doubleenglish.com

Patent pending. DraftShaft is a trademark of Double English, LLC. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.