There you are, stooping over a keg of beer, trying to figure out how to tap it. You’re surrounded by people telling you what to do, but it’s not seeming to work. You might be hosting a backyard barbeque, a pool party, a bonfire, watching a Saturday night baseball game, or taking a road trip to the beach with some friends. No matter what your idea of a good summer party is, there is one ingredient common to all summer parties: a good keg of beer. The only problem is, you can’t figure out how to tap a keg of beer.
Before You Tap
Don’t agitate the keg. If you think the keg has been overly agitated during transportation, make sure to let it settle for an hour or two. Between getting it out of the store, into your car, out of your car and into your house or backyard, it’s pretty likely the keg was agitated. Don’t tap it immediately, instead plan ahead and use this opportunity to ice the keg to ensure maximum coldness.
How to Tap a Keg of Beer
Of course you need to get your hands on a keg and a tap. You can purchase or rent taps for a one time use. Remember to make sure the beer faucet is in the off position. Then follow these steps to tap your keg.
- Remove the plastic or cardboard covering on the top of the keg.
- Align the notches with the hole towards the top of your keg. There are a few slots at the top of your keg and a ball bearing in the middle. The purpose of the slots is to guide the tap’s notches into place and keep it there. The idea of the ball bearing is to act as a stopper. The pressure from the keg forces it up. Then the tap will “screw” into place.
- Press down. You need to push the ball bearing down, allowing the beer to flow. Some pressure is required, but you don’t need to push too hard.
- Using a clockwise motion, slide the tap into its correct place, keeping a firm downward pressure applied. It’s important you don’t let up, keep pushing down as the tap spins into place. It will eventually lock in place from the pressure within the keg.
- Pour several cups of beer or about a pitcher’s worth. At first the beer will consist mostly of foam. When the foam subsides, about half the pitcher will remain filled with beer. From this point on, you should be able to pour without foam.
Following these steps should make sure you are not the guy at the party trying to figure out how to tap his beer keg.
Tips to Avoid Foam
To avoid foam when pouring use these tips:
- Squeeze the black faucet completely open. Partial opening usually creates foam.
- Only pump what you need for solid beer flow. OVERPUMPING will create foam.
- Keep hose and faucet out of direct sunlight.
Make Sure to Clean Up
After each party, make sure to clean your party pump with products specifically designed for beer line cleaning. The process is fairly simple and only takes a few minutes. Properly cleaning your beer lines will assure trouble free use next time you use your party pump.
If you are planning to throw a big party but you don’t want to own equipment you’ll rarely use, consider a rental. At Clean Beer, we offer rental cold plates, party pumps, and Co2. Rentals can be picked up at our store in Milford, MA or conveniently delivered to your door. Clean Beer is the home of the clean beer line experts, contact us about renting a party pump or with any questions.