KEGS! How to Transport and Tap!
- When transporting a keg, take it slow and easy when you move it - from your shopping cart to your vehicle, and from your vehicle to your party place. Secure it well with straps to prevent it from rolling around or tipping over in your car’s trunk or truck bed. This slow and easy approach will help reduce foam upon initial tapping. And be sure to bring an adult friend to help you carry it, kegs are really heavy!
- Ideally you should wait 2 to 4 hours from the time you get your keg home and settled into an ice tub/refrigerator/kegerator BEFORE tapping the keg to allow the contents to settle and get acclimated.
- Kegs must be kept cold at all times. If your keg is running in a kegerator system, 38 degrees is the ideal temperature.
- You will need a tub larger than the keg to keep the keg in ice.
- Start by pouring a small layer of ice into the bottom of the tub (This is because beer is drawn from the bottom of the keg upward!) Then insert the keg in the tub, pour ice around the sides of the keg, but not on top of the keg…yet!
Next: Tapping the Keg
- Insert the tap into the keg opening, twist and push the handle down securely.
This should lock the mechanical parts of the keg and tap together. If it doesn’t feel like it is secure, don’t try and force the handle. Simply check the alignment and try again.
**IMPORTANT TIPS**
- Make sure you have the right tap handle (a/k/a keg coupler) for your keg beer!
- After you have successfully tapped your keg, you need to release all the pressure off the keg by pushing the small, steel, pressure-release button on the side of the lower tap shaft. If your tap does not have a pressure release button, open the tap faucet until all pressure is relieved before pumping the keg. These first few glasses of beer may contain more foam, but be patient!
- After initially releasing the pressure on the keg, when you fill a glass of beer from the keg, pump slowly. The beer should come out slow and easy. The less pressure on the keg, the less foam will be created in the keg cups, which means more beer for everyone. Most importantly…it means that there won’t be people walking around with cups that are ½ foam, ½ beer.
Do not over pump the keg! This adds more pressure to the beer and will create foam. Only pump when tap faucet is open and until you reach your desired flow rate. Your keg does not need to be continually pumped. If the flow rate is not right, re-check the seal from the tap to the keg.
- After Tapping the the keg, pour ice on top of the keg and around the tap. Only do this after you have tapped the keg! (If you put ice on top of the keg before you tap it, it can interfere with the tapping procedure.)
NOTES: Different kegs (brands, sizes) require different taps. Make sure you have the right kind of tap for your particular keg of beer before you leave the store!
Guinness Kegs are special! Guinness kegs require a home draft system that employs the use of a blended nitrogen gas tank (75% nitrogen, 25% CO2) to make the beer pour properly. Without this home draft system with the nitro gas, Guinness will simply come out of the tap as flat, black beer, with no head or foam on top.
