Advantages of your beer dispensing system
If you want to open a craft beer bar or install beer taps in your bar, take note—this will definitely clarify some aspects of the idea you have in mind.
Beer installations basically consist of 4 parts or elements: the cooling unit, the tower with its drip tray, the beer keg, and the gas cylinder. Once we know this, we need to decide where we’re going to place everything, so I’ll explain a few things to keep in mind before choosing where to set up these components.
The chiller is essentially a unit used to cool the beer, as it passes through a coil immersed in very cold water at around 0 to -3 degrees. We should place this unit in a well-ventilated area where there are no other machines nearby that generate heat, such as dishwashers, bottle coolers, etc., and where you can work on it (top cover) to carry out maintenance and avoid future problems without having to move the unit, since it is filled with water and therefore quite difficult to move. There must be an electrical outlet near the chiller.
Once we’ve more or less decided on the space for the cooling machine, it’s time to find another spot, this time for the column with its corresponding taps. There are different types and finishes of columns; to choose the right column or bridge you can see some examples of columns and installations in our online store. But now what we should decide is how many taps we want so we can get an idea of the dimensions, find a suitable space and, above all, keep in mind that the closer it is to the machine, the better.
We know that sometimes the layout of the premises makes things a bit complicated, but even in those cases it wouldn’t be a problem for us, as we have the materials needed to transport beer over long distances while minimizing temperature loss.
As you’ll have seen in bars, each column has its corresponding drip tray; with this element we simply have to decide whether we want it recessed into the bar so it’s flush, on top of the bar, or clamped to the bar with a kind of bracket or “grampo,” as it’s often called. And finally, to finish with the tray, we need to know whether it will include a glass rinser, which, as the name suggests, is used to wet the glasses by pressing them down onto the rinser—you’ve probably seen this in bars as well. You should have a water supply nearby to connect it, and a drain.
Now it’s time for the kegs and the gas cylinder. Where do I put them? How do I keep them in the best condition? The kegs, just like the chiller, should be kept in a well-ventilated place with a stable temperature and, in the case of the keg, the cooler the better. Remember that heat does beer no favors.
Ideally, you would have a cold room just for the kegs, but due to budget and venue layout this is often very difficult. Lastly, the gas cylinder is also better kept in a ventilated, cool place, as heat could negatively affect the cylinder.
