Bar Tap

Quick Tips

If you want your bar to be like a real bar, and not like a makeshift bar in some disgusting college house, then you will need a bar tap. This will allow you to pour beers quickly, without having to bend down and pump a keg tap. This will be much cooler and you will be much happier if you do this. There are many different options for setting up the bar tap, but probably the easiest and cheapest is to buy a tower kegerator conversion kit. These can be bought at relatively inexpensive prices over the internet.

On top of this kit, you will need a CO2 tank and regulator gauge for pressurizing the keg. A 5 lbs. canister can be bought for about $60 and refilled for about $15 at a local compressed gas store. If the gas is turned off immediately after finishing each keg and there are no leaks, a 5 lbs. canister will last for up to 10 kegs.

A drip tray is another useful addition to the bar setup. However, these can be expensive to buy, and can be easily and cheaply replaced with a bowl or tupperware. The drip tray protects the bar surface directly under the faucet from spills that are sticky and damage the bar surface. It also collects otherwise wasted beer.

Keeping the Beer Cold

There are also several options for keeping the beer cold. The cheapest is to buy the kegs right before the party and drink them quickly. If this is too much of a hassle, or if you constantly have unfinished kegs from parties, then you should consider one of these other options:

• Full Kegerator- beer sits in a fridge, and a hose is run from the keg to a tower faucet. These run from $500 and up. However, if you have the money, they are a convenient keg cooling system. This system will also be much cheaper if you already own a fridge that can fit a keg.



• Cold Plate/Coil Jockey Box- cheaper than a full kegerator (at least in initial investment). A cold plate or coil jockey box runs the beer through stainless steel tubing that is submerged in ice. This allows even a room temperature keg to be served cold. If you are serving room temperature kegs, you will need a coil jockey box. A 120' coil can keep the beer cold for continuous pouring. Kegs that are already cool can serve continuous cool beer through a cold plate. The drawbacks to this type of system include the necessities of buying ice and keeping the coil cold. In addition, you will need extra space behind the bar to keep the jockey box.



• Garbage Can- Buy a $5 garbage can from Walmart, put the keg in the can, and then fill it with ice. This is cheap but has several drawbacks. You have to pour out all the water after each party. You also have to buy about five bags of ice for every party. Finally, you have to make room for the garbage can behined the bar.



• Separate Refrigerator- this is potentially the cheapest chilling method. Many college houses have old fridges that can be outfitted to hold a keg.
  Outfit a Fridge for a Keg
  A keg can be chilled in the fridge while serving another one. Upon finishing the first, rotate out the second and keep going!



• Serve Warm Beer- screw your guests. Drink the initial cold beers yourself, then serve warm beers to all the people you don't like that come to your place. You don't like them anyway, and with any luck they will be drunk and won't notice. Definitely the cheapest option.

Installing a Bar Tap System

Pick the location on your bar where you would like to have the tap. You obviously want the faucet towards the serving side of the bar. In addition, it is good to consider traffic behind the bar during a crowded party. Positioning the tap away from the entrance to the bar will allow easier access to the entire bar length and cause less frustration. Placing the tap at the bar's center or near a wall will keep non-servers from using, abusing, and possibly breaking the faucet or handle.

Once the location is established, drill a hole straight down through the bar surface for the beer line (you will need a minimum of a 1/4" hole). Place the rubber gasket on the bar, centered at the 1/4" hole. Pre-drill through the gasket holes using a 1/16" drill bit. Position the gasket, drill the first hole, then turn a screw part of the way into this hole. This will hold the gasket in the correct position while you are pre-drilling for the other screws. Make sure to let the gasket lie naturally. Do not stretch it, for then it will not fit properly under the draft tower. Pre-drilling prevents the bar surface from splitting and chipping when inserting the screws.

When the pre-drilling is finished, remove the screw and push the beer line through the hole (and through the center of the gasket). Place the draft tower on the gasket and screw it in snugly. It should be solid and not wobbly. Attach your faucet and whatever handle you have (we recommend going to a brewery and getting a fancy labeled on) to the tower. Your faucet is now complete. You are ready to complete the setup with a full keg and CO2 tank.

Attach the keg tap the the beer line and air line. Connect the other end of the air line to the CO2 regulator gauge. Make sure all connections are snug. Now, make sure that the regulator gauge valve is in the "off" position (lever perpendicular to the line is off) and screw the gauge onto the CO2 tank. On the gauge there will be a dial that shows your CO2 tank level, as well as the pressure being released. When the valve is opened, you can adjust the pressure by screwing a pin in or out.

Now attach the tap to the keg. Make sure that your faucet handle is off (leaning back). Then pull down the lever to tap the keg. If you are unsure of how to correctly tap a keg, there are numerous online tutorials and videos. It is actually a problem that a lot of guys have. Seriously. Now open the pressure valve, adjust the CO2 pressure (you will need only about 5 psi at first), and pull on the faucet handle. Out comes beer! For your sake, we hope that it is not warm Natty. Enjoy!

Related Pages

• Bar Construction
• Kegerators
• Keg Fridges

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