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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

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A Good Beer Blog

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2010-03-10T00:46:00Z

UK Labour Adds Two Dimensional Pub Minister

Wow. A Pub Minister for Britain! Great! Has he got a Ministry staffed with people who do work? No... but he has a ministerial task force, drawing on five Whitehall departments. Is he actually given the time and resources to make change? Well, there is that thing coming up... that election. The Daily Mail notes:

A new government will be in place in less than 12 weeks, Labour or not, and Chancellor Darling is expected to unveil the last Budget of this parliament on March 23. This isn't time enough for Healey to win a campaign to Save the British pub.

If this was such a great idea, why didn't the UK government introduce it in the previous 675 or so weeks since they gained power? Right now they trail in the polls by 5% to 7% but, to be fair, that is half of what they were behind by at Christmas. And is he the man for the job? While 5 or 6 pubs are closing a day 130 families lose their homes a day in the UK. Healey, who is also Minister of Housing, has described repossession as 'the best option' for struggling homeowners according to The Daily Mail.

Sure, it's just politics heading into a tough election but that is the point - it's just politics heading into a tough election.

2010-03-09T00:49:00Z

This Monday's Bullet Points Of Beery Interest

Ah, bullet points. When you haven't got enough for a post there's always enough for bullet points. They are the putting green to a round of 18. The hot dog to the BBQ. But enough of my lazy blogger admissions and let's see what is going on out there:

Craft beer in the US had another good year in 2009 according to the trade association, Brewers Association. Apparently, craft brewers sold 9,115,635 barrels of good beer. The Brewer's Association works with an annual production of less than 2 million barrels. So does this mean when the next brewer goes over the 2 million barrel mark that we will get a press release stating that there has been a 20% drop in craft beer sales? Sam Adam's PA plant has about that much capacity alone. So, that'll happen soon, right?
Speaking of the state both south and west of New York, I hear that there's been some hoosegow raids down in Pennsylvania.Brewer's may be getting a chill. Lew's smoking mad. Jack's losing it. Andy makes a valid point, however. I wonder what would happen in Ontario of un-permitted beers were being sold? Likely a license suspension. Yet it does seem like a silly law.
Ticker alert: Guam now has locally-branded beer. Everyone else: as you were.
I don't understand the panic at the Beer Wars blog. Unless it's a dead cat bounce. Even a dead cat will bounce if you drop it from far enough. It's a stock market phrase. But I don't think this is really a dead cat bounce at all as this is the point: "The choice is yours. You can keep complaining about what?s wrong with the film (don?t get me started on Avatar) or you can embrace it (flaws and all) and help spread the word about craft beer to a whole new audience." Actually, no - I don't have to make that choice. I can ignore the work, however well intentioned, as an ineffective advocate for the cause. But is it?
Perhaps Pennsylvania needs true leaders of vision like the UK's Gareth Epps, candidate Liberal Democratic Party for Reading East. He declared "I am proud to be speaking up for community pubs, local brewers and consumers." Hmmm... is that actually possible? Can one stand up for corner stores, the local bakers and bread eaters? Maybe you can. I would also like to point out that he works for a major infrastructure project, specialising in community consultation and I have no idea what that means.

That's a fair bit going on for a quiet late winter night. It's not all quiet. Ron's off somewhere at a festival where he is drinking stouts and lambics. Sounds alright by me.

2010-03-07T01:44:00Z

Oregon: Black Butte XXI, Deschutes Brewery, Bend

I am delighted that samples from Deschutes get through the solid mile high maple soaked wall that is the US-Canadian border but disconcerted nonetheless. Should I be drinking a beer that says "best before 17 October 2010" or should I not? In this weekend's spirit of not being so anal about these things let's open it and see what we find.

At 11% it is hard to argue that this is not infanticide. The beer could easily have laid in the stash for a decade. It pours an inky mahogany with a mocha rim and foam. On the nose, dark chocolate as well as some mineral notes of coal on top. Rich and supple in the mouth, it is a light dark chocolate liqueur yet with a grainy texture that speaks to its making. Had I waited, it might have been so much more complex but at this young point in its career it has a freshness that is quite compelling. Still, over time acids would arise in a year or so which would cut the chalkiness of the finish and complement the acids from the hops. The sweet of the malt lingering there would likely break down into a more interesting collection of flavours than the present hint of icing sugar. Yet it is compelling and I am grateful for the efforts that got it to me.

Huge BAer love.

2010-03-06T00:03:00Z

Session 37: Let's Bust Open The Stash.... Maybe....

Stash. It's one of the best words in the entire beery lexicon. I like it so much a picture of mine serves as the background of my Twitter page. No, not page... presence. It really is a Twitter presence. And, you know, it is a thing of comfort and joy, the stash. I wrote a post about my stash in 2005 and am wondering how long before that I was using the word. Back then it was about 40 bottles. Now it's about 200. I don't like to go beyond that as stuff just gets too old. I cull the stash by giving away beer. I cull it by drinking. And I preemptively cull it by living in Canada where no one really can get the good beer into the stash either by sales or samples. Yet, they are in there. A few excellent rare bottles. Buffered by a few almost excellent rare bottles. Buffered by more good but not quite excellent, hardly rare bottles. They are in there. At the back. Under boxes. Hidden. I can hear them.

But enough about me. What's this edition of The Session about?

The Ferm has the honor of hosting The Session, a monthly assemblage of beer bloggers to opine on a shared topic. The March 2010 topic is ?The Display Shelf: When to Drink the Good Stuff.? The topic is open ended and the rules of The Session are close to nil. You can use your post to be persuasive or therapeutic. You may choose to tell a story of a great bottle you once opened or boast of your own beer collection.

Oh. dear. See, it's all fine to talk about the stash but to actually go in there and get into the rare stuff... well... I don't know. I'll get back to you later tonight.

Later: A 2006 Doggie Claw will help me think about this. One of the last bottles from the unfortunate shipment of late 2006. This bottle is rare because it is hard to get on the east coast of North America and also because it was through so much with me. And because it has mellowed. The slightest pffft on opening, the lightest carbonation, a syrup body, the most delightful barley wine I have ever had. Yum.

But does that answer the question. Let me think about that a bit.

Later still: a bottle of Gale and Co Conquest Ale bought at least five years ago for, according to the label, $3.99. A cork pop and, hmm, the waft is entirely lambic. Gorgeous. Like 50% Thomas Hardy Ale plus an equal amount of that cruelest beer. Or maybe one third to two thirds. Amazing. You figure out the proportions. Best have another wee think about what's going on here.

2010-03-05T01:42:00Z

Botswana To Regulate Traditional Beer

Traditional beer? The only solid access I've had to information about traditional beer drinking patterns in southern Africa is what I read a couple of years ago in Xhosa Beer Drinking Rituals by Patrick McAllister. Botswana is apparently taking steps to bring traditional beer under the nation's general liquor law regulation. Trade and Industry Minister, Ms Dorcus Makgato-Malesu is reported to have said that issues of traditional beer are sensitive and need extensive consultation. Other politicians have chimed in:

Gaborone South MP Kagiso Molatlhegi, whose constituency includes Bontleng and Old Naledi welcomed the idea saying shebeens need to be regulated as a matter of urgency, adding that there is too much noise pollution in his area because such businesses are not uncontrolled. Adding his voice to the debate Gaborone West South MP, Botsalo Ntuane criticised government's stance on alcohol saying it was antisocial...

It's important stuff. Such important stuff that there appear to be rumours that traditional beer saves one from serious illnesses. Maybe such misconceptions are among the reasons for the government anti-alcohol campaign in Botswana.

I seem to see sorghum beer is called chibuku when sold commercially. One manufactureer describes it this way: "Chibuku has a sorghum malt dominant flavour. There is a biting taste due to the continuous fermentation. It has a thick texture and has thick foam." Jay posted way more about aspects of neighbouring Zimbabwe's beer culture which should also help the curious amongst you but could it be we are all just needing our own thick and biting chibuku?

So, why are there no craft brewers holding chibuku bashes? Could we chilly North Americans handle it? Martyn wants his South African beer basket and maybe so should we all.

2010-03-04T00:57:00Z

The Hobby Of Not Drinking Everything

Good article in the Los Angeles Times today by Evan George on the hobby of the beer stash. The hero of the story is Mr. Arrieta:

To grab a beer, Israel Arrieta doesn't just stroll to the fridge; he has to walk out his back door to the side of the house, where he pries a chicken-wire screen off a basement window and scrambles, crab position, down a wooden ladder. Several minutes later, he emerges cradling half a dozen cool, dusty bottles of beer. Arrieta, 27, keeps his beer in the closest thing to a cave: the crawl space under his parents' North Pasadena house.

We also read about a 55-year-old who writes for the film industry, a retired medic, a Raytheon engineer from Glendale but it's Arrieta, the guy who keeps his beer in a dirt crawl space behind chicken wire, who makes the story. He sums up the hobby as "not drinking everything just because you have it" and I suppose that is why I do it, too, as well as simply because I have to hunt out my beer an buy in mass purchases living, as I do behind the great mapled curtain of national denial.

One of the other stash nerds also pointed out that "If you just age all the bottles for 10 years and drink them in a month, that doesn't make sense." I don't know if I necessarily agree with that as I am quite comfortable with the idea that a beer like a wine can be on point or past it. I want it when its best because who really needs to be exposed to a beer that is "cloyingly salty, more like Kikkoman than a Boston lager"? Gak.

2010-03-03T01:22:00Z

Michigan: Reserve Special, Dark Horse Brewing, Marshall

Marshall, Michigan. I would like to spend a few days there, drinking Dark Horse beer. The only think better than Dark Horse beer is the extraordinary fountain in the centre of town. It's a small town, under 6,000 people. So, it's pretty good that they have at least two extraordinary things there.

I was there last August and spent less than an hour. Picked up a bunch of beer and this is one of the last, a 7.5% black beer. I'd call it a stout but what do I know. Very nice. Dark chocolate coloured ale under a mocha rim. In the mouth, plenty of dry cocoa powder and date enriched to short of the point of licorice but you can see the licorice from here. And an attractive rich consistency like the cocoa powder hasn't completely dissolved. The integration of the hops adds to the dark chocolate effect, a slightly mentholated effect. I would love to have this with BBQ.

The BAers have the love. And now available in New England.

2010-03-01T00:25:00Z

Can't They Get The Rules Of Betting For Beer Right?

You may have heard that Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama bet a case of beer each on the outcome of today's Olympic men?s hockey final. Apparently, because Canada won, Obama now owes Harper a case of Molson Canadian. If the U.S. had won, Harper would have owed Obama a case of Yuengling beer. How embarrassing for us and another missed opportunity that tells us how little craft beer has entered into the general conversation.

And did they even get the bet right? It is one thing for young hockey players not to know the difference but how can national leaders, at the top of their respective international trade teams, not put the best they have to offer? This bet? It's like a bet for a bag of ketchup potato chips against a box of Ring-a-Dings. And didn't they get the basic idea of the wager wrong? When the Red Sox played the Rockies in the 2007 World Series, Senators from Massachusetts bet a box of seafood and other east coast treats while Senators from Denver wagered prime beef and other food from Colorado. Shouldn't Obama have to consume the Canadian beer as part of his losing the bet? Isn't the whole point, after a Canadian win, to have the President of the United States say "you know... I was thinking... I wasn't going... to like... this Canadian beer... but I gotta say... it's not... that bad."

And apparently even this was a re-do.

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