home keg setup question - coupler vs. party pump

[spence425]

i periodically purchase kegs for various parties. i have a party pump and a keg coupler. my question is this. if i want to use the keg coupler (with gas in marking on the side stem), can i connect a faucet to the top, and a hand pump to the gas in stem? i know that i "shouldn't" for purposes of beer freshness and best utility, but can i? based on the coupler setup when i rent a guiness/harp tap, i think the answer is yes, but would like to confirm. i'll move to gas at some point, but for my upcoming event i want to know if this setup will work (instead of using the party pump with the side hose).

any input would be greatly appreciated.

[toymorino]

I think you can use it manually, but remember the beer will stay fresh for 8-12 hours. I have an air keg beer dispencer bought from https://mcdonaldpaper.com/refrigeration, it works basically the same way. I also found advice to keep the kegs warm, and thendrive them with CO2 through a jockey box or other faucet, thus the beer will be fresh for a couple of months.