Where's The Keg?
The Magic of Trunklines
If you're the owner of a bar, pub, restaurant, or any other establishment that serves draft beer, then you've probably spent considerable time pondering the pros and cons of different beer dispense systems.
Whether you're installing a new system or upgrading an old one, I'm sure you've thought about installing a kegerator under the bar counter, where it's very near the faucet. This is appealing because it reduces the likelihood of temperature problems, foam, and wasted product. But do you really want to cart your beer kegs through a crowd of customers? Do you have enough space to fit a three, four, or five faucet kegerator at the bar?
You've also probably considered a remote dispense system, where the kegs are stored in a walk-in cooler, and beer is pumped to the faucets through beer lines installed throughout the building. But the beer may have to travel hundreds of feet to reach the faucet… so how can you be sure the product maintains a consistent temperature over the entire length of the tubing? After all, even the slightest temperature change can cause foaming and quality problems at the faucet.
What you may not have considered, however, is the Micro Matic Black Diamond® trunkline. In case you're unfamiliar with the term, trunkline is specially insulated beer tubing (sometimes referred to as a beer "snake" or "python") that weaves remotely through a building carrying beer from the keg cooler to the faucet. Unlike normal beer lines, trunkline can dispense beer long distances with no foam waste while maintaining product quality and temperature…just as if the beer was coming from a kegerator behind the bar.
Not all python is created equal, though. To truly maintain temperature consistency, you need a high-quality python. Micro Matic Black Diamond® trunkline is second to none, which is why retailers are clamoring all over it. Savvy bar and restaurant owners are using Black Diamond® trunkline to replace their old snake (which, in most cases, was either hand-made or made of inferior quality materials that did not properly maintain beer temperature). Black Diamond® protects the investment these owners have made in their beer kegs.
In this python, the beer tubing has an inner bonded liner designed to be an extension of the keg. This liner protects the brewers' art while transporting it to the customer's glass at the desired temperature. Think of the tubing as being glass-lined, as if you were picking up the keg and pouring the beer directly into the glass.
Do you want two products dispensed? No problem: the trunkline is available with up to 24 product tubes and either 1/4", 5/16", or 3/8" inside diameter.
There are other reasons bars and restaurants love the Micro Matic Black Diamond® trunkline. It is designed and manufactured to eliminate heat fostering condensation build-up with a tight vapor barrier wrap. The foil and insulation layers keep the cold inside, where it belongs, making it very effective at maintaining temperature. This reduces energy requirements for the refrigeration unit (power pack) and minimizes the amount of food-grade glycol/water mixture that the power pack circulates along the beer tubing. Glycol wears out and is expensive to replace. That means the Black Diamond® trunkline can reduce operating costs…and lower overhead is always appealing!
Remote draught system installers and line cleaners are excited about Black Diamond® trunkline, too. The Black Diamond® dimple cover on the trunkline reduces friction as it protects the inner bundle. This allows an installer to sometimes push it through a building's conduit or chase system. In contrast, most other products – particularly ones constructed with copper tubing – must be pulled, though, which is undesirable. It can result in increased labor costs and potential damage to the trunkline.
The inner barrier lining of the product tubing inside the Black Diamond® trunkline is so slick that it will not allow beer spoilers to imbed themselves, as they have with other trunklines that utilize simple polyethylene line. Line cleaning chemicals are expensive, and line cleaners are busy…they don't have all day to try and circulate buckets of cleaner through an inferior trunkline (which should actually have been replaced at the first sign of off-taste beer…or better yet, never installed in the first place)!
So, whether you're considering a new install or pondering an upgrade, Micro Matic has a diamond of a trunkline for you! (Black Diamond®, that is). It's a great way to enhance product quality, lower operating costs, and increase overall profits…on what is already a very profitable beverage!
Raise a Glass to Draft Beer Sales!
For over 60 years, Micro Matic has been recognized as one of the world’s leading suppliers of draft beer equipment. Specializing in keg-to-glass technology, we offer a total solution for meeting your draft beer equipment needs. Our dedication to customer service is supported by four regional sales and distribution centers, the Micro Matic Dispense Institute for training and education, and a Certified Installer Network for draft beer installations. Want to speak with a “perfect pour” expert? Contact Micro Matic today.