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Welcome To Draft
Part II
Anatomy of Your Draft System
1. Tap and Tower
2. Beverage Line
3. Beverage OUT connector valve
4. Gas IN connector valve
5. Gas Line
6. CO2 Regulator
7. CO2 Tank
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Anatomy of a Ball Lock Cornelius Keg
PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE: This valve is located
in the center of the lid and is simply used to
purge the pressure from the keg at any time.
Typical use this to relieve excess pressure after
carbonating your beer at a pressure higher than
your desired serving pressure.
KEG POSTS: The keg has (2) posts, beer out and gas in, these are not
interchangeable. There is one purpose to these posts, provide a means by which to
secure a gas line and a beer line. Ball lock kegs are like quick disconnects with small ball
bearings that will catch in a groove on the post to secure the connector.
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Connecting a Keg to your Draft System
First, find the "Gas IN" post on your keg.
Gray = Gas
Black = Beer
Second, pickup the gray (sometimes white) connector valve. A connector valve has
a spring loaded collar around its base and when lifted, a series of ball bearings are free
to move outwards. When the collar is released the ball bearings move back towards and
are locked into a groove on the post. Lift the collar upwards whilst simultaneously
pushing the connector valve onto the relevant post. When the connector valve stops
moving downwards onto the post, release the collar. Without lifting the collar, give the
connector a quick tug upwards to ensure it is locked onto the post.
To remove a connector from a post simply raise the collar and lift the connector.
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How Pressure Works
At this point, it’s important to understand the basic
mechanics of the keg. The following diagram shows
five gallons of beer in your keg. The dip tube is
connected to the liquid post and goes all the way to
the bottom. As you add CO2 through the gas post [1],
you increase the pressure on top of the beer [2]. This
pushes down on the beer, pushing it up the dip tube
[3] and out the liquid post [4]. … it’s not too
complicated.
Maintaining Quality
Five things must be done to maintain the quality of the beer being dispensed.
1.
Allow a keg to SETTLE before serving. It could take all day for this to
happen, so plan/order accordingly. Settling is important for flavor and clarity.
When a keg is moved, tilted, or rocked; yeast is mixed back into the beer. This
causes your beer to become cloudy and taste dry. When every possible, let your
keg rest and don’t wake a sleeping baby!
2.
The beer must be kept cold (40F or 10C). Higher temperatures greatly
accelerate over carbonation and spoilage. The entire system must be kept cold,
from the keg to the faucet. A good rule is to treat beer the same way you would
treat milk.
3.
The beer must be consumed in a reasonable amount of time. Draft beer
is generally prime for 14 days after it is tapped. After 14 days, keg pressure
may change and require some extra care. Don't buy a keg to save money if you
cannot consume it in a reasonable amount of time, you will be doing yourself a
favor to only buy as much beer as you can consume in a week, two at the most.
4.
The beverage lines should be cleaned once a month. We are dedicated
to preserving the quality of our hand crafted beer; call or email us to clean your
draft line. ([email protected])
5.
You must keep the glassware in very good condition. If you do not use
cleaner designed for bar glasses then beer glasses should be cleaned especially
well and rinsed very well. Always allow them to air dry, do not towel dry. If
(god forbid) you freeze your glasses, don't put them in the freezer 'til they're
dry. Freezing your glassware will destroy the beer's flavor and cause a lot of
foam.
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All About Beer Foam
When serving a beer, how much is the right amount of
foam and why is this important?
Most importantly, a good head helps release the
aromas of the beer, especially the hops. Aroma is
everything for enjoyment of a good brew. When
enjoying a super-hoppy IPA, you should always use a
glass that provides a large surface area for aromatics
to rise from.
It can also provide the a pleasant mouth feel. Stouts
definitely benefit from a thick, silky head.
And lastly, it's eye candy.
As for the right amount of head, it varies. Generally in
an average glass you want 1-2 finger-widths of
head. Some hefeweizens and wit beers are best with
a bit more.
Customers from the UK usually want no or minimal amount of foam. In Japan the foam
is quite important, and most of the time people know how to pour the beer in the right
way to produce foam. Take a look at the image above and use this as a guide for most
customers.
Why do I have too much foam?
The most common problem with draft beer is its propensity to be foamy beer. When a
third or more of each glass is foam you're likely losing patience with draft beer. Before
you give up on draft beer and stop using your kegerator, let's break down the problem
and give you some solutions.
Whenever beer is foamy it’s 95% certain that there is a temperature problem. Most
beer is carbonated to a level that requires it to be sold cold because cold beer (or any
liquid) can hold more dissolved gas. In the case of beer that gas is carbon dioxide. So
when you have foamy pours coming from your kegerator the first thing to do is look for
warm temperatures in your system. The other 5% of foam problems are caused by
mechanical issues.
Before we go on to the diagnosis of the problem, let's confirm that the beer is being
poured correctly. Improper pouring technique can cause foam. Also, make sure that
your keg has had enough time to cool down in the kegerator and settle before you
start pouring. A keg can take a day to cool down after transporting it – and if it had just
been delivered.
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1. Often improper pouring technique is responsible for foamy beer. Make sure that: you
are opening the faucet with one quick steady motion. A draft faucet should be fully
closed or fully opened. Unlike the kitchen or bathroom faucet, you shouldn't try to
control flow by only partially opening the faucet or opening it too slowly. (If you have
flow control taps, please consult us)
2. Use clean, unfrozen glasses with smooth inside surfaces. No foam cups, frozen mugs,
dirty or soap film on the glasses.
3. The mouth of the glass should be held just below the faucet mouth, not touching it.
Your glass should be held at a 45 degree angle and then brought to the upright
position as the glass fills up past the halfway point.
Now that we've confirmed that you're pouring correctly get two pint glasses and in
succession attempt to pour two beers. Based on the descriptions below decide which
best describes what happened:
 The first glass was nearly all foam, but the second glass was successful. If
this is the case, start at step 2 below:
 Neither pour was acceptable, foam was 50% or more of each glass. If this
is the case, start at step 1 below:
 The pour exploded into both glasses very fast and all foam. If this is the
case, start at step 4 below.
1. Fill a glass with tap water and set it on your kegerator floor overnight then take the
temperature of that water in the morning using an immersible thermometer.
What's the temperature? Is it under 40 degrees? If so the bottom of your keg is cold
enough. This is the same region of the kegerator where the beer is served from (since
the beer is pushed up from the bottom of the keg). Do not use an air temperature
thermometer such as an oven thermometer. These are not accurate enough. Also, you
are interested in liquid temperature only. If your glass of water is not cold enough, your
kegerator is not cooling the beer down sufficiently. Adjust the temp of the kegerator and
repeat step 1.
2. Fill a pint glass with tap water and put the glass of water on top of the keg or
otherwise arrange the glass so that it is near the top of the box. Leave it there overnight
and then take the temperature. This is the temperature of the beer lying inside your
beer line above the keg up to the hose exit to the tower. Is this temperature under 40
degrees? If so your exiting temperature is cold enough. If not, you will need to wait for
the small bit of foam to subside before serving; or if you are serving two beers at a
time, split the foam between the two glasses and serve promptly.
3. Dump the cold water out of the glass and pour beer into the glass from the faucet.
Dump this beer in the sink or chug it if you want. Now pour a fresh beer into the same
glass. Take the temperature of this beer. Is it under 40 degrees? If so, your beer is cold
enough. Drink the beer because you don't have a temperature problem. See step four
below to solve your foam problem.
4. Can't get enough beer into the glass to take a temperature at all because it's all foam?
Complete steps one and two above to confirm the proper temperature inside your box.
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Now disconnect the keg coupler from the keg and take a rough measurement of the
length of your beer line. Measure from the keg couplet to the entrance to the tower,
then measure the tower and add the two measurements. In most cases you should have
five or six feet of line. If it is less than this, there is not enough resistance in your draft
system. If your beer line is the proper length, see step five below for adjusting your gas
pressure properly.
5. Look at the outbound gauge on your gas regulator (you have two gauges; you want
the one with the low pressure readings). Depending on your beer style the gauge should
be reading 10-16 PSI. If it is higher than this, it is most likely too high unless you are
dispensing beers like hefeweizens or your beer line is more than six or seven feet. Make
sure the gauge is working properly by uncoupling the keg and engaging the pressure
relief valve on the regulator. The free flowing gas should noticeably bring down the
gauge pressure while the relief valve is open. If not the gauge may be faulty, but it is
replaceable. Or the regulator may need to be disassembled and cleaned. Also, if the
gauge pressure goes up after you've set it, the regulator may need to be disassembled
and cleaned.
Temperature and CO2 Balance
The temperature of the beer effects the amount of pressure needed in the keg to control
the carbonation level. As temperature increases, CO2 bubbles expand and will come out
of the beer. As temperature drops, CO2 dissolves more easily into the beer.
For example, at 38 degrees F, Coors Light needs 15 psi to maintain its CO2 level. At 40
deg F it needs 16 psi. At 36 deg F it needs 14 psi. Generally, a two degree increase in
temperature requires a one pound increase in pressure.
Illustration "A" represents CO2 pressure adjusted
properly for the storage temperature and
carbonation level of the beer. There is an equal
amount of CO2 dissolving into and breaking out of
the beer.
Illustration "B" represents too little CO2
pressure. Gas breaks out of the beer into the head
space of the keg and in the lines. Pockets of gas
will accumulate in the lines creating pouring
problems as well as flat tasting beer.
Illustration "C" represents too much CO2
pressure, more CO2 is dissolving into the beer than
is breaking out. The carbonation level of the beer
is increasing. Pouring problems and "buzzy"
tasting beer will result when the keg is low and
dispenses the over carbonated beer. Over
carbonated is often perceived as tasting extra
bitter.
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OTHER TROUBLESHOOTING
To diagnose a draft problem, hold a clean glass at a 45 degree angle under the faucet
and open the tap completely. Use the troubleshooting guide below to find a potential
cause and solution for your problem.
Problem
No Beer is
Coming Out
Potential Causes
Symptoms
Gas will rush out of
Keg is empty
faucet
Other draft lines will
start to pour slowly, gas
Gas tank is empty
tank volume gauge will
read "0"
Beer pours very slowly
and stops, but gas tank
Gas valves are shut
volume gauge shows
off
that there is gas in the
tank
Beer trickles out or
Beer line is frozen stops in one tap or
multiple adjacent taps
Beer is
Pouring
Foamy
Beer lines are
dirty
Beer slowly becomes
foamy over several
weeks time and lines
have not been
professionally cleaned
Beer pouring very
Gas regulator set
rapidly or very slowly,
at wrong pressure
with excessive foam
Keg pressure too
high
Connect a full keg
Connect a full gas tank
Turn the toggle so that it is parallel
with the gas line or reconnect the
gas line to the keg
Soak a towel in warm water and
wrap the frozen beer line or Turn
the cooling system off for 1 hour,
then try pouring
Contact us to clean lines every
month or depending on your rate of
consumption.
Adjust pressure - direct draw
systems (under the bar) should be
set at about 10 to 16 psi
Beer pouring with
excessive foam but
Disconnect keg from CO2 take and
tastes flat. Line from the pull the pressure relief valve a few
keg to the tap will turn times. Repeating this step every
straight to bubbles
few hours is suggested.
when you stop pouring.
Keg storage or
coolant
Beer pours above 40°F
temperature is too with excessive foam
high
Beer was just
delivered
Possible Solutions
The first few pints in a
keg pour foamy and
cloudy
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Lower the cooler temperature, limit
traffic through the cooler door, and
lower the temperature to about
35°F
Wait 6-8 hours, then pour again
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Problem
Potential Causes
Beer Tastes
Keg lid or value
Flat and
has a leak.
Looks Dead
Symptoms
Beer doesn’t foam
during dispensing
Beer tastes flat and
Gas regulator set there are no visible
at wrong pressure bubbles on the side of
the glass
Beer tastes flat and
Keg has been
there are no visible
under carbonated bubbles on the side of
the glass
There is a warm
spot, kink, pinhole,
The beer starts pouring
Beer "Burps"
or bacteria buildup
or Sputters
fine, then "burps"
somewhere in the
beer line
There is a bad seal
The beer starts pouring
around the faucet
fine, then "burps"
or keg coupler
Keg pressure set
too low and your The beer starts pouring
keg is off gassing fine, then "burps" and
small bubbles in beer tastes a bit flat
the beer line.
Beer tastes
metallic when
Beer Tastes
running through
"Off"
recently cleaned
lines
Beer has a strong
buttery or
butterscotch
flavor
Beer has a
"creamed corn"
flavor
Beer tastes stale,
with a papery or
"wet cardboard"
aroma
All beers on draught
have a metallic taste
Diacetyl could have
formed in the beer due
to hot storage, creating
this off taste
D.M.S. could have
formed in the beer
during fermentation,
creating this off-taste
The keg could be past
it's expiration date, or
air could have been
pumped into the keg
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Possible Solutions
Verify the leak by connecting the
CO2 to the keg and listening for
leaks. Spray or wipe soapy water
over seals to view possible gas
escaping. Call us if you see/hear
leaks.
Adjust pressure - direct draw
systems (under the bar) should be
set at about 10 to 16 psi
Adjust pressure - direct draw
systems (under the bar) should be
set at about 10 to 16 psi. In a
hurry? See directions below
Check to see if a full keg could be
sitting on a beer line. If not, check
the insulation and seals on the line
with a sponge and warm soapy
water, and plan to get lines cleaned
Replace washers in the keg coupler
and faucet or exchange for new
equipment
Check kegerator temp is between
35-40F. Adjust regulator to 1416psi
Lines cleaned with caustic acid can
leave a faint metallic taste. You can
request that your lines be cleaned
with a chemical-free method, or
just pour a few pints off and the
taste should return to normal
The keg is filled with bad beer and
should be returned, with a request
to notify the brewer
The keg is filled with bad beer and
should be returned, with a request
to notify the brewer
Ensure that you are pressurizing
kegs with CO2, not with oxygen rich
air. If the keg has been on tap for
longer than 4 weeks, it can go bad,
and should be returned.
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