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Maintaining Your Draft Beer System

Luckily, there isn’t a whole lot of maintenance that needs to be done to your draft beer system.

But here are some KegWorks pointers:

Keep both the inside and outside clean with normal cleaning agents.
Clean your beer lines every time you change your keg. Using a cleaning kit is the easiest way to do this. It only takes a few minutes and will assure your beer tastes fresh and crisp. This will also help to avoid sediment build up in the beer lines, which can cause foam.

Draft Beer Parts

Serving draft beer at home is much easier then you think. All you need is a home draft beer system. You may hear a draft system referred to as a keg tap, keg tapper, kegerator, keg pumps or picnic pumps. Below is a summary of all the types of draft beer products that we carry.

Faucet Handle
Sometimes called a faucet knob or tap handle. This is the lever that you pull on the faucet to make the beer come out. You can screw just about any faucet handle onto our faucets. Our kits come with a small, black generic one.

Faucet
This is where the beer comes out. There are lots of parts inside the faucet, so it should be cleaned regularly.

Shank
This is a long steel tube that runs through the hole you drill in your fridge door. The faucet screws into one end and the beer line screws onto the other.

Beer Line Jumper
This is a 5-foot long piece of dense, food-grade tubing that connects the keg coupler to the faucet/shank assembly. We provide you with the proper connectors to attach the beer line at both ends.

Keg Coupler
This piece attaches to the keg and actually taps it. There are six different types of keg couplers used throughout the world. Which ones you will need will depend upon which brand of beer you drink.

CO2 Tank
Most kits come with a 5-pound steel CO2 Tank. With this size CO2 Tank, you can serve about 5-7 half kegs of beer. Welding supply companies, fire extinguisher supply companies, and gas dealers can fill CO2 tanks. Look under "Gas" in the yellow pages in your local phone book for dealers near you.

Regulator
The regulator connects to the CO2 Tank. It steps the gas pressure down to a level that is right for dispensing beer. Most of our kits come with a double gauge regulator. One gauge tells you the pressure going into the keg; the other gauge tells you how much air you have left in your air tank.

Air Line Jumper
This piece of tubing runs between the regulator and the keg coupler. We provide you with the proper connectors to attach the air line at both ends.

Beer Line Cleaning Kits
Keeping your beer lines clean will help to make sure that your beer tastes its very best. Over time, your beer lines collect beer deposits that can affect the taste of your beer and even cause excess foaming. We recommend that you clean your lines after each 1/2 barrel.

Common Draft Beer Questions

What size keg will fit into my refrigerator?
A standard US quarter barrel measures: 12-13" high, with a 16" diameter. A standard US half barrel measures: 23" high, with a 16" diameter. European kegs vary in size, but are similar to US sizes.

The average CO2 tank has a diameter of about 6" and may be kept either inside or out of the fridge. There should be a little bit of room around the sides of the keg for air circulation. Also leave about 6"- 8" above the keg for the keg coupler.

So, that said, to know for sure if it will all fit – make sure to read online measurements carefully before ordering. If you are unsure – feel free to call. Or take a trip to your local beer retailer and ask for any empty keg. (They will usually charge you a $10.00 deposit). Then put the keg inside the fridge you plan to purchase to make sure that the fridge is big enough.

What size refrigerator should I buy?
That's a tough one for us to answer. It depends upon your space and your budget. We can't recommend any specific size or model because there are so many good ones out there. But we will do our best to give you some pointers.

It can be difficult to find a fridge that is small enough to fit under your counter and large enough to hold a keg. Compact fridges usually are not a good option either – they usually have a vegetable bin in the bottom, and a compressor which makes these hard to fit a keg.

We suggest you take your beer goggles off and measure!

How much beer is in a keg?
How much beer is in your keg is up to you!

Breweries no longer make whole kegs; they stopped about 35 years ago because they were just too heavy to lug around. Your options are the following:

1/2 keg: Holds 15.5 gallons, which is 7 cases of beer
1/4 keg: Holds 7.75 gallons, which is 3 1/2 cases of beer
Beer ball: Holds 5 gallons of beer, which is equal to 2 1/4 cases of beer.

If you are looking for something even smaller, you may be able to find a 5-gallon mini-keg.

What temperature should my draft beer be kept?
Draft beer is not pasteurized, so it must be kept cold, preferably between 38 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures above 45 degrees Fahrenheit could turn your beer sour and cloudy. So, keep it cool!

How long will my draft beer stay fresh once I have tapped the keg?
Once it’s tapped, draft beer will taste fresh for about 20 - 30 days. Longer than a few weeks it looses its fresh brewery taste and aroma. Craft/Micro brews often have a shorter shelf life.

How long does a 5-pound CO2 cylinder last?
5 pounds of CO2 should serve approximately five to seven half-barrels. Make sure that all airline connections are good and tight - CO2 can leak very easily. It’s best to leave the tank outside of the fridge if possible. You will get more air out of the tank if it’s kept room temperature.

Where can I get my CO2 tank filled?
Look in your local phone books yellow pages under the heading "Gas". There should be several gas distributors in your area. Just call a few of them and ask if they fill small tanks with CO2 (sometimes called beer gas). Also, call some local fire extinguisher suppliers and welding suppliers, sometimes they fill CO2 tanks. To fill a 5-pound CO2 tank usually costs between $7.00 and $11.00 depending upon where you live.

Why is my beer foamy?
There are a few things that can cause foamy beer: Warm spots in the beer line, or the keg itself, dirty beer lines, twists or kinks in beer line. Also, an unsettled keg can cause foamy beer. Let the keg settle for two to three hours before tapping it.

I'm planning on putting a draft beer tower on my bar, and keeping the keg in a refrigerator nearby. Is there anything I need to know?
Yes! Exposed beer lines may cause foamy beer. So, if the beer line running from the fridge to your tower is not refrigerated, you will most likely have foamy beer. There are commercial ways of actually refrigerating the beer lines, but they are VERY expensive. There are ways to reduce foamy beer in this type of situation:

Minimize the distance of exposed beer line - the shorter the better.
Wrap all the exposed beer line in thick foam tubing to keep it cool. Home Depot has it and it’s not at all expensive.
Remember to plug the hole in the refrigerator that the beer line comes from. Spray foam insulation works well.

Draft Beer Troubleshooting
On rare occasions you may experience foamy or cloudy beer, here are some great troubleshooting techniques.

Condition:	Cloudy beer Beer appears hazy and not clear.
Causes and Corrections:	Over Chilling Excessive low temperatures may cause hazy and cloudy beer, particularly when beer lies for a long period of time. Maintain refrigerator temperature at 36° to 40°F. Partial opening of beer faucet Open the faucet quickly and completely. Having anything warm on or near your keg When anything that is not cold, such as meats, vegetables, fish or fruits are placed on a keg of cold beer, the beer becomes warm long before these products chill down. This change in temperature can cause cloudy beer.
Condition:	Flat beer Foamy head disappears quickly, beer lacks usual zestful brewery-fresh flavor.
Causes and Corrections:	Greasy glass Do not wash beer glasses together with glasses that have contained milk or any other fatty substance. Lipstick is a fatty substance, be sure it is removed from the glass. Eating greasy foods while drinking beer can cause this too. Wash glasses thoroughly with a good detergent; do not use soap. Do not dry-wipe glasses. Allow glasses to air dry. Rinse in fresh cold water just before serving beer. It is best to serve beer in a wet glass. Beer Glasses should be used for beer and nothing else but beer. Improper drawing of beer into glass Open the faucet quickly and completely. Check and find the correct distance to hold the glass from the faucet when drawing. Proper foam should be a tight creamy head, and the collar on the average glass should be 1/2" to 1" high. Beer drawn without a head has the appearance of being flat. Not enough pressure Check CO2 tank; if empty, get refilled. Increase pressure if beer runs too slowly. Correct flow is to fill a 10 oz. glass in 4 seconds (approximately 8 oz. of liquid). Check that there are no obstructions in the airline. Check and replace the airline or CO2 regulator and gauge. Regulators will wear down, so be sure to replace after 4-6 years. Make sure CO2 pressure is ON; do not run the system off the keg pressure alone. Make sure temperature of refrigerator is not above 40° F.
Condition:	Loose foam Large soap-like bubbles, foam settles quickly.
Causes and Corrections:	See "Flat Beer" Causes and Corrections
Condition:	Off-tasting beer Often bitter and bitey. Sometimes completely lacking in flavor and zest. May also have oily or foul odor, carrying an unpleasant taste.
Causes and Corrections:	Dirty system Clean the entire system monthly or immediately after each keg is emptied. The faucet should be removed, disassembled and cleaned with hot water and a brush weekly. Inexpensive cleaning compounds, equipment and kits are available. Contaminated air line Examine air line and replace if necessary. Dirty air lines should be washed with a good cleaning compound normally used for cleaning beer lines, then rinsed clean. Old beer The beer in the keg may be old and past its prime. Buy a fresh keg.
Condition:	Foamy or “wild” beer Beer, when drawn, is all foam, or too much foam, and not enough liquid beer.
Causes and Corrections:	Warm beer The beer keg must always be kept between 38ºF and 40° F. Excessive CO2 Lower the amount of CO2 going to the keg; adjusting the regulator does this. Adjustments may not happen immediately. In a normal keg fridge set up, you should keep your regulator set between 10 and 12 psi. If a keg is over pressurized, pull the relief valve on your keg coupler for about 3 seconds. This will release some CO2 out of the keg. Wait about 15 minutes, and then turn your CO2 tank back on. Older regulators should be replaced completely as they do not last forever. Instructions for Connecting and Operating a Regulator Old beer lines Replace old beer lines. If you bought or inherited an older system, it would be wise to replace the beer line. Click here for replacement lines. Improper drawing of beer into glass Open faucet quickly and completely. Check and find the correct distance to hold the glass from the faucet when drawing. Proper foam should be a tight creamy head, and the collar on the average glass should be 1/2" to 1" high. Obstruction in faucet The faucet should be removed, disassembled and cleaned with hot water and a brush every few weeks. Worn faucet parts Replace worn washers as required. If faucet does not open wide, worn parts or entire faucet must be replaced. Click here for Faucet Rebuild Kits and New Faucets. Warm spots in your beer line Any warm spots in your beer line will cause foamy beer. All beer tubing should be kept inside your fridge. Long beer lines runs (6 feet or greater) can cause your CO2 pressure to be out of whack. A larger inside diameter of beer tubing may be necessary.

Common Draft Tower Questions

What is included with the tower?
All towers come with the faucet head and about 3 feet of beer line. They are fully assembled.

What don’t they come with that I will need?
You’ll have to get a faucet handle and mounting screws. The screw holes are already drilled into the base of the tower. Towers don't come with mounting screws because every surface is different and can require different types of screws.

Will any type of faucet handle screw onto the faucet head?
Yes. You can put ANY type of faucet handle onto your faucet head.

Where can I find a faucet handle of my favorite brand of beer?
If you can't find what you're looking for there, try asking the retailer where you buy your kegs. They may be able to help.

Does it matter if I use a 2 1/2" diameter or 3" diameter tower?
We suggest a 3” tower. To keep your beer line chilled and reduce foaminess, you will want to force some of the cold air from your refrigerator through your lines and into your tower. By using a larger diameter tower, there is more room for cold air to circulate up in the tower.

I have an older tower. Do you have replacement parts for it?

Each one used different pieces inside the tower to connect the beer line to the faucet so it is very difficult to match up those pieces. Most times it is just easier to replace your old tower with a new one because the replacement parts can cost more than a new whole one.

From our friends at Keg Works

The Kegulator -- Need to find out how much beer and ice you will need for your next party? This awsome calculator has your answer. Click Here..

A Good Beer Blog

http://beerblog.genx40.com/

2010-07-30T02:14:25Z

Where Are The Beer Nerds Heading Online?

I like to check in on the stats once in a while to see if I can see any trends. I've been at this blogging thing for almost seven and a half years now and you would thing some of the numbers would make sense. They seldom do.

Contests are good for traffic, holidays are not. You are all reading this at work, aren't you? Cheater pants! Everyone of you.
A lot of people really want to know who many calories there are in beer.
Months later, I think the demise of RSBS did have a real effect on people coming here - at least directly. Other aggregators has more than taken up more than the slack but no universal beer related aggregator has really replaced it. I still feel less in the know.
I get the 6th most visits from India compared to any other country over the last year. Yet where are the comments? Work conditions must be tough there.

That is all I can come up with. I still think there are twelve of you out there. Other than that, it is a mug's game. Except if you are monetizing. Monetize and the pieces all fall into place.

2010-07-29T00:58:50Z

Assassination By Beer In Afghanistan

The Christian Science Monitor has dug up an interesting beery angle from the whole Wikileaks controversy. Apparently, the documents which have been released include references to a pattern of the Taliban poisoning booze as a mean to assassinate key personnel. Like this:

James Yeager, an American geologist who advised Afghanistan's Ministry of Mines, tells the Monitor he returned to his residence in Kabul to find it had been burgled. The intruder took money from a drawer and left behind a bottle of Corona beer. The Corona bottle sat on his counter for the next two weeks Yeager says, because Corona is one of his least favorite beers. He finally opened it during a going away party as the other drinks began to run low. ?I pulled it out and when I popped it there was no fizz and the cap was loose,? says Yeager. ?Because this one didn?t have fizz you wonder if it went rancid or not, and I just kind of sniffed it and I went ?Oh, that doesn?t smell like beer.? ? Yeager, a geochemist familiar with acids, realized it smelled like sulfuric acid ? otherwise known as battery acid.

What a rotten trick. What a rotten way to go. You know, it's a damn good thing the Taliban are not aware which government advisors have a taste for Cantillon Bruocsella 1900 Grand Cru. They'd be done for.

2010-07-27T23:46:00Z

"...The Proposal Would Help Tourism To The Area"

You know, we say a lot of good things about beer and pubs. We like to think good things, too. Think that our little hobby, our habit is not something that should be a bother to others. Sure there is plenty of evidence to the contrary but this one little tale of one little pub just sticks with me:

My property shares a wall with the proposed beer garden. I have serious concerns about the impact it would have on my quality of life and on my property day and night, particularly at weekends when the Castle Bar's clientele is very young and rowdy. Due to the extremely close proximity of our properties, the external noise levels caused by talking/shouting/singing/arguing from increasingly intoxicated drinkers would be unbearable. Further to that, there would be the noise caused by music blaring out from the bar, and doors banging as people enter/leave the beer garden.

In 2008, one review of the fine establishments of Banff in Scotland reported "the Castle for a fight, Aul Fife for no conversation and poor Karaoke." Wonderful. At the planning board meeting, the pub stated "the four-metre high walls around the garden would break much of the sound from customers" and "the proposal would help tourism to the area." Tourism. The sort of tourists you need to bus in and out.

Funny no one pointed out that the 13 foot garden walls blocking the sound of tourists in fights are listed heritage 13 foot sound blocking walls.

2010-07-27T00:39:00Z

Book Review: Tasting Beer, Randy Mosher

Tasting Beer has been on the shelves for about a year and a half but I just threw a copy into a larger order from Amazon the other day. I like it fine but it is not the book I thought I was getting. I blame the internets as I didn't have that browsing moment leaning against a books shelf half thinking about the book, half thinking about a donut I had in 1986. I thought it was going to be a book primarily about tasting beer. Where did I get that idea from?

Around half the book is beer history along with beer styles and examples available in the US. Useful information covered elsewhere... and, again, over there, too. Often. Pages 28 to 144 or so, however, do not show up elsewhere. Pages stuffed with information on the human sensory experience, details about that weird vocabulary Stan throws around with words like "caprylic" and "trichloroanisole" as well as neato graphs on the relativity of bitterness and gravity on one hand and pressure and temperature on the other. Good data born no doubt of Mr. Mosher's background in home brewing. Quality.

One quibble of me is that I don't like the font or the layout. I don't like double columns in a book and I really don't like semi late 1800s "Golden Age" typography. It seems like the information on the page is harder to find than necessary. I wonder what it would look like with simpler fonts?

But that is just a quibble. This is great text for the intermediate beer fan. I think it might actually be too much for the beginner - a curse, I realize, no publisher or author wants to read. Yes, it has the obligatory forward by Sam Calagione (imagine that !) but don't hold that against the author. Buy it.

2010-07-25T13:37:00Z

Hooray - I Love Being Told I Am Stupid - So Should You

Update: To be fair, when I heard about their tattoo promotion I immediately thought "damn, you have to be at the pub on opening night...."

Am I supposed to cheer along with the giving of the finger to 99.998% of customers for the sake of marketing? Or is this supposed to be Dada beer? Who cares. All I know is I am far less inclined to buy any BrewDog beer. Why? Because of this short sentence:

A response to the haters.

"Haters"? Good Lord. Are you twelve? This has to be the stupidest new usage of a word that has been imposed upon the language and there is far too much use of it in craft beer circles. It denies the right to disagree. It tells us to stop thinking and start following. You call in to question my freedom from being your sycophant, I call into question your business model.

Not that there is anything wrong with the beer. BrewDog is quite good at making beer. As good as a lot of other great brewers. What makes it different is how it seems to be that it is brewed by pushy dullards with an over active interest in getting our money while letting us know we don't "get it." No thanks me thinks. This brewery has gotten too boring.

2010-07-24T01:28:00Z

Florida: Saison Athene, Saint Somewhere, Tarpon Springs

I didn't expect this to be my first Floridian beer but I guess it is. Andy Crouch in his soon to be published (review copy delivered yesterday) Great American Craft Beer calls it both "a flavor parade of spice" and a "spice bazaar" which gives me some pause. Can I handle it?

It opens with a pop as the 2009 dated cork flies and lets loose with an appled gently funky wave of aroma. Golden ale under white froth and foam. In the mouth... it is a spice parade. Lighter bodied and crisp with curried notes of, maybe, earthy cardamom, a little white pepper and heated raw ginger. The balancing malt is that wheat cream thing that Lew mocked me mercilessly over. Tangerine juicy mid-swallow but ends with a drying brett finish. More semi-sub-tropical Orval than Oro but a solid brew.

Great BAer respect but not quite love. I don't know why.

2010-07-22T23:34:00Z

Shopping At Broue Ha Ha In Gatineau Quebec

I regretted the drive only when the alarm went off this morning. Adding 425 km and five hours driving to the gap between supper and sleep was not maybe the most intelligent thing to do mid-week but I sure was pleased with what I found. Broue Ha Ha is the newest addition to the private beer shop scene for eastern Ontario - none of which actually exist in eastern Ontario. I got a bit lost finding the place as its about ten miles or so to the east of downtown Ottawa but on the way home realized it sits fairly handy to exit 141 on Autoroute 50. Won't make that mistake again.

The shop sits in a new mini-mall in a residential area of town. The first thing you notice is the whole neat and tidy thing. Not quite used to the idea of such a snappy shop as craft beer places tend to be a bit of a friendly jumble. As you can see from the picture I nicked from Facebook, the small shop has a considered layout that features shelving according to styles rather than the usual geographical location of the brewers. Gilles, the owner, was tending to other shoppings in French but had no problem picking out my fundamental incapacity in that language and switched to English.

I picked up a few new beers like the latest double IPA from Charlevoix as well as their blanche, one from Multi-Brasses of Tingwick and another from a brew pub from Shawinigan. The rest were favorites from Le Bilboquet and Les Trois Mousquetaires as well as a six of Coup de Grisou by Brasseurs RJ . Prices very competitive with Marche Omni at the western end of the City. I stopped there on the way home and found a few beer not by at Broue Ha Ha by Microbrasserie de L'Ile d"Orleans.

Only open for a couple of months, one lone BAer gives high praise as do the three at RateBeer. More on Facebook.

2010-07-21T02:17:10Z

Oregon: Chatoe Rogue Single Malt Ale, Rogue, Newport

Ah, to be left with only the third best camera in the house. I hope the beer isn't third best. As you can guess, I doubt it will be. I like the idea of veracity and authenticity in ingredients. I prefer it to brewer as wizard or rock star or TV host. Hard to believe some might find brewer as TV to be a tad cheesy but there you have it. By contrast, in this case the brewery states "all Chatoe Rogue brews are all GYO Certified, First Growth, Appellation products made with hops and malt from our Department of Agriculture's Hopyard and Barley Bench." Wonderful idea.

The beer pours a light yellow pine and generates a fine white lacy froth, foam and rim. Light floral aromas. Bright lemon grassy acidity followed by twiggy bittering moving towards a lime hoppiness. Lighter bodied than I might have expected but welcome at that minor girth. The malt is there in a supporting role, quietly biscuity. I really like this beer. Zesty.

I find the BAers a little less excited than I am.

Have a look at the screamin' deals at Mr. Beer. The new homebrewing kits are easy to use and affordable for all. Free shipping thru Christmas.They have you homebrewing back covered.

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