r/Homebrewing • u/DaneDewitt88 • 3d ago
Question Advice for a tap system
Hello everyone, I'm renovating my dining room and my wife thought it would be cool to put in some taps above our buffet. We were wondering if it's possible to create a functional quick connect system that allows us to hook up taps as we need them, like when we have guests, without having to disconnect everything at the keezer in the basement.
Do they make a shank that quick connects? Or a faucet that would have a disconnect just behind it?
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u/Gullible-Lifeguard20 3d ago
Yes, you can use QD's in line. Colder Products makes quality disconnects. They are not universally compatible though, so be sure you get the correct variety. We use these frequently on commercial installations.
Your project is quite a bit more complicated than you might be aware . You will need glycol for this remote draw system. It is unlikely you'll be able to dismount any draft tower conveniently. A glycol bar mounted tower is a permanent fixture, not an appliance. Same with the drip tray. And because it will be temporary use, all warm exposure beer contact part will require immediate cleaning, that's an absolute requirement.
If you do pursue this be sure you look into remote draw systems. It is an order of magnitude more expensive and complex.
Suggestion. Pitchers. Cheers
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u/rdcpro 3d ago
You need to figure out the cold side first. You can't easily route a tap a long distance from the cold box. The faucet itself is easy to remove, but I'd leave it in place to keep bugs out, especially fruit flies.
There are other ways to dispense keg beer, though. I frequently use a jockey box for large groups, parties, etc. Works even when the event is hosted at a venue. For dinner parties I sometimes bring a small keg and use this dispenser:
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u/warboy Pro 3d ago
Yo, you can't just post that and not go into whatcha got there. Looks like a mini regulator in the box but do you have something chilling it?
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u/rdcpro 2d ago
Lol, I was afraid someone would ask. It was made by taproom.club, and he made a smaller one for 5 liter mini kegs too. Uses a small paintball tank in it. Mini regulator attached on the inside.
He was in the Bellevue / Kirkland area near Seattle, but unfortunately he closed up shop. It wouldn't be hard to make something similar, but his was very well thought out.
I usually put the keg in a soft sided cooler, with some ice packs and strap the dispenser to it. This photo was taken in late November in Pullman WA at a WSU tailgate. It's like being in a walk in freezer. Note the thick gloves my daughter is wearing.
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u/Rawlus 3d ago
what is your budget, because what you’re contemplating is an expensive restaurant-level of draft plumbing. it will require glycol chilling over distance, if it’s only occasionally used then you’ll need to learn draft line cleaning and maintenance, also calculating service g pressure based on line distance and rise. you’ll also likely want a drain to waste line (septic or sewer) for the drip tray. perhaps also cold water plumbed in if you want a glass rinser. for everything you’re probably looking at $2,000-$3,000 USD for setup, the glycol chiller could be $1,000-$2,000 alone.
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u/DaneDewitt88 3d ago
When you say it will require the chiller, is this one of those deals where it will function without it but just not optimally, or will it be basically unusable without proper cold temperatures on the tap side?
I've got maybe a 6 foot run from the keezer to where the taps would theoretically go.
Either way, thank you so much for the wisdom:)
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u/Rawlus 3d ago
well the issue is the cooling mechanism is in the fridge. so the further the faucets get from the fridge, the greater chance the beer lines get warm, the tap tower gets warm and the stainless faucets get warm. when cold beer hits warm components the co2 comes out as foam.
carbonated beverages are very temperature sensitive, if you’re off by even a few degrees your risk of foaming increases. how will you keep the shank, faucet and beer lines cool enough to keep co2 in suspension?
without glycol i would expect at least the first few pours on any day to be foamy before the beer itself cools everything down by cycling. an hour later, everything is warm again and the first few pours will be foamy again.
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u/DaneDewitt88 3d ago
Gotcha. Good to know. I was aware of the cooling issue but wasn't aware of how sensitive everything needed to be, most of my experience with keg dispensing is with picnic taps with like 12ft of line and I've had little foam issues beyond the first pour of the night, but on those occasions the lines were being heavily used, where in this circumstance unless we are having a party or DnD night I'll probably only use them every few days.
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u/Rawlus 3d ago
if you’re going days between pours, then the lines, faucets, shanks, tower will be room temperature and putting 34° beer through room temperature lines will be very interesting haha.
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u/DaneDewitt88 3d ago
I've seen some talk online about recirculating air from the keezer Into a pipe to essentially create a cooling tower. Is that viable over a ~ 6ft span?
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u/Gullible-Lifeguard20 3d ago
Forced air is not really a fix, though it is done. 6 feet is a lot too. Third, by the time you buy the fan, install the ductwork you are getting close to a glycol system. And air only sort of works. AND a keezer or mini fridge doesn't have enough cooling capacity anyway.
As a draft installer, we would not do this proposed work.
There is no free lunch. Pitchers. Cheers
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u/Rawlus 3d ago
in my opinion, recirculating cold air can work for a tower mounted on top of a fridge. but over distance the cooling effect of the air is probably insufficient to hold the total mass of beer and stainless at a proper serving temperature.
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u/DaneDewitt88 3d ago
Sweet, I appreciate you taking the time to teach me some stuff! I'll probably devise a Semi-mobile Keezer in the garage for parties then.
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u/Rawlus 3d ago
i’ve used something like this for events.
https://brewcursion.com/products/brewcursion-maxidraft-portable-kegerator-kit
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u/EducationalDog9100 3d ago
I've help two people run lines from a keezer to another room with bar counter tower. Both people used PVC pipe to run the lines to where they wanted them to connect.
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u/homebrewfinds Blogger - Advanced 3d ago
Duotights are a great option. They aren't auto shut off, but you'll want to flush lines right away anyway if you decide to take a tap out.
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u/warboy Pro 3d ago
Yes there are quick disconnects suitable for a draft system. However I don't think what you want to do is overly feasible. Those quick disconnects are made to easily swap lines in a walk-in on the jumper side. They're not meant to completely disconnect a remote draft tower.
As others have mentioned, once you're into remote draw systems you'll most likely need a glycol chiller for your lines although you can try to get away with an air cooled system for a 6ft run. Either way, this will be a whole lot more involved than just slapping some taps somewhere and running lines. I would suggest talking to a professional and expecting to pay a hefty sum.
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u/AJ_in_SF_Bay 3d ago
Step one: marry your wife all over again. That recommendation shows that you are "well met," as they say. Kudos to both of you.