I am setting up the tap/keg at a bar

[JPadgett]

Ok.. I need help! Lol.. So my friend bought a building and she is turning it into a buffalo wild wings type of bar and grill. She asked me to set up the tap.. We will start out with 4 taps.. Bud & bud light coors light and killians.. I need to know what all i will need and how to set it up.. Im familiar with the home keg set up .. But not the bar type! Help!

[BrewGuru]

The simplest and most cost effective way to get draft beer into a startup restaurant is to go with a commercial quailty, "Direct Draw" setup. For 4 kegs you will want to look for a Beverage Air DD78, True TDD-4, or Perlick DS-84, these are generally available in a 115V model which can plug into any available dedicated standard circuit.

If the budget is tight, these units can often be found in good and reasonably serviceable condition from used restaurant equipment dealers and / or in the local business community if someone is remodeling their business, moving, etc... The good part of this is that often the units were already ordered with dual towers, or have been retrofit to have dual towers.

I cannot stress this next section too highly! With a used unit, always make sure to have it gone over by a REPUTABLE draft technician, to install all new gas and beer line to the faucets, and give everything a thorough cleaning. Don't pick the lowest price - cheap draft techs are cheap for a reason, get someone who takes pride in their work and charges what it's worth.

Also, and I HIGHLY recommend this, make the right decision for YOU and YOUR CUSTOMERS, be prepared to spend ~$500 for a 4 tap box to buy all STAINLESS STEEL components, couplers, tailpieces, shanks, and faucets. This may seem like a large expense up front, but it will prove to be well worth it over time as you are able to pour consistent quality pint after pint, your customers will KNOW the difference, even though they don't know WHY they know, but your beer just tastes fresher and better than other places!

If the establishment has a walk-in cooler, that they want to run kegs in, or some other requirements, other systems might be advised. Please let us know what the basic plan is.

Welcome to the forums and good luck with the draft beer installation.


P.S. With that beer lineup, and enough volume you can probably get away with a one pressure system, which is not generally recommended, especially if you will ever put on any ales or other beers with varied carbonation requirements, but could save up front.

[MidMoBeerGuy]

I am kind of in the same boat, except I will be setting up a growler fill station inside a high end craft beer store. I assume the best set up would be to have a large walkin cooler with taps on the wall? What systems would you recommend and what prices will I be looking at considering I will probably be buying a lot of the smaller 1/6 kegs? The number of taps is negotiable, but I'm thinking around 10, at least to start, with the ability to add more later.

[KillianBoy]

MidMoBeerGuy,
I've been waiting for a commercial guy to chime in but I gotta say unless you brew your own beer, filling growlers with 1/6 kegs won't make you any money. By going to 1/2, you'll make more money.
Also check out the new growler filler from MM, expensive but it won't take forever to fill a growler, just my 2 cents.
KB

[spdbump]

I would do a through the wall install with the Taps through the wall of the coldbox. I would also use 1/2 barrels like Killian Boy said.