Do you Know How to Use Your Tap Handle?

The way you grab the beer tap handle can make a difference in whether your draft beer pours foamy or not. Believe it or not most first timers make the classic mistake of grabbing the beer tap handle from the top and pull it forward with a jerking action – this will do two things, first, it will put excessive leverage on the beer faucet components and possibly cause damage and second, it will cause the beer to become agitated and pour foamy. The correct way to grab the handle is from the bottom with two fingers (index and middle finger) and pull the handle toward you in one smooth motion and when closing the beer faucet close it the same way – in one smooth motion. So the next time you have your friends over see if they know how to grab the beer tap handle and pour a beer like you see in commercials.

Foamy Draft Beer

Foamy draft beer can be caused by many things, but one of the most common is dirty beer lines. The build up of bacteria, mold, and yeast can cause beer stone. This will result in not only foamy beer, but can also reduce the quality and taste. The best way to prevent this is to clean the beer lines as well as faucets and couplers regularly. At a minimum you should clean your system after each keg of beer. This can easily be accomplished with the use of a beer line cleaning kit in under half an hour. This process is as simple as using the pump included in the kit to pump water mixed with the supplied chemicals into the system and allowing it to soak. After this rinse the lines well and inspect all o’rings and gaskets to make sure they are in good condition and re assemble the system. These few simple steps will keep you beer tasting fresh, just make sure these steps are performed between each keg and follow the instructions from the manufacturer of the cleaning kit you purchase.

Can I make a kegerator?

Many of our customers find that buying a new kegerator is much to expensive, so they choose to turn an old refrigerator or freezer into a custom kegerator. This can be done in a few different ways. First you will need to purchase a kegerator conversion kit. Second you need to make sure the unit you choose to convert is capable of holding the size keg you will use. These kegerator kits come complete with all the parts needed to make an ordinary refrigerator and a keg into a working draft beer dispenser. Follow the installation instructions and remember to keep the unit inside because most refrigerators are not made to run in warm outdoor temperatures. If you choose to use a freezer for this conversion there is an extra step involved. It is very important that you purchase and install a temperature controller which allows the freezer to maintain a temperature more suitable for Draft Beer. This causes the freezer to shut off when needed to maintain a temperature perfect for draft beer. With either method you can have cold draft beer at home with the fraction of the cost of purchasing a new kegerator.

A Few Good Draft Beer FAQ’s

Why do I have a hard time pulling the handle on my draft beer faucet.

A sticky faucet is usually a good indication of a dirty faucet. All draft beer components should be cleaned on a regular basis with a chemical designed for draft beer equipment only.

How often should I clean my draft beer equipment.

Regular cleaning of the faucet, hose and coupler is very important. Your should clean the whole system after every keg of beer. This is a minimum requirement, and extra cleaning is always better.

How do I know if a tap handle will fit on my faucet?

All american made tap handles are made to fit on all US industry standard threads. Both US handles and US faucets have 3/8″-16 UNC threads. Any faucet made outside of the US such as European made faucets will not fit US standard products. At this time there is no adapter manufactured to make these interchangeable.

The Beer Diet

By Bob Skilnik
Why not try the low-carbohydrate approach? Following the philosophy of today’s most popular low-carbohydrate books, dieters gradually increase the early restrictions of their daily carbohydrate intake while excess weight continues to come off, once again enjoying starchy foods like potatoes, rice and pasta … in moderation, of course.

But what about beer? Is it possible to include moderate amounts of regular brewed beer in a low-carbohydrate diet? One stumbling block that some beer drinkers find when trying to shed weight on a low-carbohydrate regime is the reliance on light beer with its minimal carbohydrate content (and some might say taste). Is it possible to move beyond the restrictions of light beer and on to one of your full-bodied favorites? Don’t bother looking for the answer to this beer drinker’s quandary in the many low-carbohydrate diet books that can be found on store shelves today. Not one of these books addresses the possibility of moving on from light beers to regular brewed beers while the pounds continue to melt away.Why not? If you’re a beer drinker, the answer might be obvious. There are no carbohydrate listings on the cans or bottles of regular brewed beer because the government feels that “… nutrition information on labels [of regular beers] is unnecessary and unwarranted.” Brewers of light beers, however, have to not only prove that their products are lower in carbohydrates and calories than their big brothers by listing the carbohydrate and calorie count on beer containers, they must also include the nutritional values of the lighter brew.

Is it right to know the carbohydrate and calorie content of what’s in your Twinkie but not in that bottle of sitting in front of you? Not if you’re a beer drinker on a low-carbohydrate diet!

For the benefit of anyone who’s considering using the low-carbohydrate approach to shedding unwanted pounds, here’s a list of some popular beers with their carbohydrate contents. All carb values are for twelve-ounce servings.

Craft Beers

Craft beers, we love them. We enjoy them straight out of the tap. We enjoy them in a bottle. But have we ever really enjoyed them out of a can? Or better yet - Have we ever wanted to enjoy them out of the can? Personally, I would say no. Generally, I try to avoid all beer that comes in a can if at all possible. Of course there was that one summer I spent living in the Valley when I was really broke … but let’s not get into that. The fact of the matter is, no one cans craft beer. Craft beer is meant to be served fresh, and as we all know canned beer is usually not so fresh. Or at least, that’s always been the case.

Well friends, times are changing. Craft beers are gaining in popularity, and canning (if done in volume) is a cheap and easy way to distribute beer products. However, most craft breweries have never had enough volume to enter into a contract with a cannery or buy equipment for canning themselves. That’s where a Canadian firm saw a business opportunity. Cask Brewing Systems Inc. was able to produce a canning machine that was small enough and cheap enough to entice at least one microbrewery to make a very smart investment.

In 2002, Colorado-based Oskar Blues became the first American business to purchase the canning machine. Initially, they planned to can some of their popular beers for local distribution as a marketing tool to bring more people into their business. That idea quickly became very popular. So popular in fact, that their little plan to gain buzz for their brewery became the bulk of their business. During their first year of canning operations Oskar Blues sold 700 barrels of beer. A mere five years later they will sell 14,000 barrels in 2007. Canned beers now make up more than 80% of their business.

So why the popularity explosion? Plain and simple - convenience. There are many closet beer-drinking enthusiasts that don’t like frequenting micro brews and pubs. They enjoy a delicious brew, but they really enjoy a delicious brew when consumed in the comfort of their own home. By canning craft beer and selling into local markets, microbreweries can increase their reach in a very short time. Consumers are now more than ever, willing to try new beers. The craft beer market is exploding. Canned craft beer is coming, be on the look out at your local grocery and liquor stores.