Beer Tap Kits

Chances are you've seen plenty of beer tap kits. Remember the keg party you went to in high school or college, where the keg sat in the woods or in a bucket, with the pump handle and plastic hose on top you used to pour your first of many beers? That's a beer tap kit of sorts, but there's a lot more to it when you're setting up a proper bar. Beer tap kits range from the relatively simple to the more complex, depending on such factors as how many types of beer you're serving (one tap line for each beer) and how long you wish to keep your beer fresh.

The purpose of the beer tap kit is to dispense beer, obviously, but also to protect your beer supply from bacteria, mold, and air leakage, which can render your beer stale or flat in a day or two. A good beer tap will not only pour a consistent and never too foamy beer every time, it will also help preserve a keg of beer for weeks instead of days. Lastly, a beer tap kit will go a long way to making your bar look like a real bar, adding functionality and color, as you desire.

Components of Beer Tap Kits

In most versions, beer tap kits will include everything you need to get the beer from the keg to the glass. These pieces include the hose and connector that attach to the keg, the shank, which mounts through the wall or top of the cabinet or refrigeration unit, the tap riser, which is used for vertical taps to raise the tap faucet above the counter top, the faucet where beer is dispensed, and the tap handle. Even if your beer tap kit does not come with all of these pieces, you will need them, so do your homework before ordering.

Beer tap kits range in price from fifty or so dollars for the most simple on up to thousands of dollars for the most ornate and industrial applications. Typically, a couple of hundred dollars or less will get you everything you need, besides a keg and a bar, to start pouring draft quality beer. When shopping for a beer tap kit, it's a good idea to have in mind the type or types of beer you plan on serving, to make sure the tap will pour properly. Certain specialty beers, such as Guinness and other stouts or creamy beers, require special taps to pour a smooth, filtered beer.