Beer Keg Taps Let The Beer Out Of Jail
Michalis 'BIG Mike' Kotzakolios


Defined Tag: Beer Keg Taps.

Without beer keg taps, the beer is imprisoned securely within the metal keg. Most beer kegs dispense beer by placing the liquid under pressure. The pressure forces the beer out of the tap and into the beer mug. Some kegs are pressurized by using a manual pump. Others receive a charge of compressed carbon dioxide or nitrogen by the vendor. The only way to get the beer out is to tap the keg.

Manual beer keg pumps are also called party pumps. Tapping a keg in this manner uses room air and can introduce contaminants into the beer. Beer is perishable, and kegs tapped with party pump equipment should be used within 8 to 12 hours. Forcing outside air into the beer by tapping with a party pump can also drive off some of the carbonation. This effect can be minimized by properly refrigerating the keg before and after tapping.

Tapping a keg using gas taps means releasing pressurized gas inside the keg. This gas is often carbon dioxide, although nitrogen is also used. Some brewers specify a gas mixture to be used in kegs containing their products. Beer preserved in a gas tap keg can stay fresh for as long as two months if proper refrigeration is maintained.

Gas keg taps are better for the beer but may pose a hazard for the beer drinker. Any pressurized vessel comes with the possibility of injury due to rapid depressurization or even explosion. Beer kegs tapped with gas taps can be made safer by the addition of a pressure relief valve. These safety valves on beer kegs automatically release excess pressure. If you use gas taps, buy kegs with this safety feature. Always learn and understand how to safely tap beer kegs before trying to sample the contents.

Sources estimate that six standard types of keg taps are in use today. These keg taps are designed to fit a certain type of keg. German keg taps, for example, will not fit a keg of American beer or a non-German keg from Europe. The beer distributor will provide the appropriate type of keg tap for the keg you are buying.

It takes a lot of time and energy to get all that beer into a keg under pressure. Luckily, all it takes to get it out are simple and effective beer keg taps.

BIG Mike is a well known author, developer and Adsense expert as well as the owner of Niche Maniacs - a unique Adsense Marketing System designed to build long-term passive income streams from Adsense, Amazon, YPN, Chitika and other PPC services.