draft beer equipment

Draft beer systems are designed to keep your beer at the proper temperature from the keg to the tap. There are three main options when selecting a draft system for your establishment: remote glycol cooled, air-cooled, and direct draw.

GS Draft Designs and installs Self-Serve Beer Walls, Growler Stations, Crowler Stations & more all across the US and Canada. Our goal is to provide you with a high-quality, efficient draft beer system that fits your budget and space.

In a traditional direct draw system, carbon dioxide or a mix of CO2 and nitrogen is used to push beer from the keg to the faucet across a short distance. Cold air from a walk-in cooler or refrigeration unit travels through the draft line and helps chill the beer.

For long-draw systems, insulated trunk lines (typically made of food grade PVC vinyl) are used to transport chilled glycol to the keg. The beer lines are then connected to the keg coupler at each tap via a beer nipple.

draft beer equipment manufacturer

Air lines are a food-grade vinyl hose that help transport gas from the tank to the rest of your dispensing system. These hoses are typically colored red to differentiate them from the beer lines. For draft beer systems that dispense more than one type of beverage, you may also need a gas blender to easily switch between different gases by mixing their blends on demand. Cleaning your beer and air lines is an important part of maintaining a reliable system. It removes and prevents the buildup of bacteria, yeast and sediment (beer stone) that can taint your beverages.

When designing a beer equipment manufacturer system, using beer lines that are properly sized for the distance between the walk-in cooler and the tap at the bar can prevent thousands of liquid ounces from being lost each year through line leaking. They also keep beer at a consistent temperature so it pours correctly.

Glycol-jacketed beer lines (also called beer trunk lines) are used in long draw systems to cool beer over distances of up to 1,000 feet. Unlike forced air systems that use vinyl beer lines, these lines are insulated and wrapped in glycol to ensure the beer stays cold.

When cleaning beer lines, always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for circulating (15-minutes) or soaking (20-minutes). After a chemical mixture is applied, flush with water thoroughly and test for residual chemicals with a pH tester kit or litmus paper. Then, rinse with a sanitary, high-quality, distilled rinse water. Be sure to clean every two weeks with an alkaline solution and quarterly with acid cleaners.

The keg coupler connects the beer line and gas line to your keg so that your draft system can dispense your beer. There’s no one-size-fits-all keg coupler, so you need to choose the right style for your beer and kegerator. To attach a keg coupler, first, ensure the CO2 cylinder valve is closed and the pull handle of the keg coupler is in the diagonal/upper position. Then, match the slots on the keg coupler with the tag ends on the keg collar and slip them in between the notches.

Ball Lock kegs use one valve and require only one coupler, while Cornelius kegs have separate posts for liquid and gas that each require their own coupler. Check out our handy keg coupler list to find the right type of coupler for your beer.

If you are a commercial brewer or want to serve draft beer at your bar or restaurant, you need a beer tower. These tall cylindrical towers can be mounted to a kegerator, a bar top or a counter and can hold up to three draft faucets as part of a direct draw draft system or a glycol-chiller beer system.

Glycol-chillers run a mixture of food-grade anti-freeze and water through copper lines in the draft system to keep the beer cold as it travels up into the tower. This is necessary because draft beer can quickly get warm while waiting to be poured, resulting in foamy pours and wasted product.

Wall-mount beer towers are perfect for saving space on a bar or countertop. They attach to the surface using a box on the back, and they work with both air and glycol-chilled systems. These towers can accommodate 4-12 taps and are available in a variety of styles and metal finishes.