If you are seriously interested in the brewing culture, sooner or later you will want to establish your home bar or craft brewery, producing delicious aromatic beer.
To realize this plan, you will need special equipment for the brewing and storage of hop beverages.
Meet our list of 7 pieces of equipment, which are essential for every brewer!
1. Beer Keg
Source: iowabrewing.beer
Kegs are barrels for beer brewing and storing. They keep the drinks fresh, fragrant, and delicious.
Another advantage is that they are much more convenient to use than conventional bottles: they are easier and faster to fill, and they are better for storing products.
The selection of the appropriate type of keg depends on the varieties and quantity of beer you plan to brew.
If you just start your way as a brewer, the best option is to buy kegs for a small batch of beer and test with what product you will succeed. Sixtel keg, a 23,23×9,17″ cylindrical barrel made of hypoallergenic stainless steel, is ideal for this purpose.
The filled tank weighs 58 pounds and 12.35 pounds when empty. Due to their ergonomic size such barrels are convenient to move and use even in limited spaces.
In addition to sixtel keg, you can also buy a corny keg (suitable for small production) or a quarter barrel keg if you plan to produce larger batches of beer.
A separate variety of keg is yeast brink – it is a stainless steel tank designed to collect yeast from a conical fermenter to keep and re-add it to a new batch of beer.
With this keg, the yeast collection process becomes easier, more convenient, and faster, which is especially important for those brewers who take their first steps in this field.
2. Kegerator
Kegerator is a refrigeration equipment that is designed to store beer and other drinks in kegs.
Using this equipment gives you several advantages:
- Keeps the beer cold and fresh for a long time.
- Allows you to enjoy a beer in a more spectacular way, as it flows just from the tap.
- It is a good option to entertain your guests, with the additional bonus to serve several different varieties of beer simultaneously.
- With proper care will serve you for several years, retaining the original functionality and reliability.
When choosing a suitable kegerator, make sure that the model you are interested in is compatible with your kegs.
3. Beer Tower
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Beer towers are equipment designed for beer dispensing in a glass. This is a special container with a tap for serving beer. It’s attached with a shank to the beer lines of the draught beer system.
It makes the process of beer dispensing more convenient, and you will be able to serve your visitors even faster.
Since this is one of the few visible parts of the draft beer system, many owners of breweries or bars pay special attention to the choice of the beer tower, trying to choose a piece of equipment that will fit into the interior of their establishment.
To date, the following models of beer towers are available on the market:
- Cylindrical
- Ceramic
- Wall-mounted
- Indie towers
- Elbow towers
- Under-counter towers
- Pass thru towers
- Double
- Euro
- Ice towers
- T, T-box, and Y models.
In addition to the model, pay special attention to the material. Most beer dispensers are made of stainless steel with a coating. Besides, there are plastic, porcelain and ceramic beer towers.
4. Tap Handles
This equipment works in tandem with the beer tower. In addition to its main function – dispensing alcoholic beverages, beer taps also contribute to the promotion of your institution.
By installing original models of beer tap handles, you can tell your customers the history of your brand, introduce them to your range and stimulate interest in tasting your drinks.
You can choose from a large selection of different tap handles:
- Generic taps are simple standard models that are great for branding.
- Chalkboard taps come with a plate on which you can write the name of the drink with chalk or marker. They are suitable for bars that often change or just make up their range.
- Personalized tap handles give you unlimited branding opportunities: you can create a unique beer tap handle that no one else in the world has.
- Novelty taps are original models designed in the form of figurines of a farmer, a chef, a bartender with a glass of beer, a golfer, Santa Claus with a beer barrel, a dollar lady, President Obama, a bikini girl, etc.
- Collectible taps visually resemble «old school» beer tap handles and are often purchased for vintage-styled bars.
5. Drip Trays
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Drip trays help to keep your establishment clean. They prevent beer spillage and staining of the surrounding surfaces.
The following drip tray models are available on the market:
- For different systems: for kegerators, jockey boxes, glass rinse;
- Made of various materials: brass, stainless steel, aluminum, and copper;
- For different places of use: breweries, pubs, bars, and restaurants, for home brewing;
- With or without glass rinser;
- With a large selection of finishes: matte, polished, chrome surface, etc.
- With various mounting options: on the tabletop, on the wall, and on portable models.
6. CO2 or Nitrogen Gas Tanks
Gas cylinders are one of the essential elements of the draft beer system, which is necessary for the proper cooling, storage and dispensing of alcoholic beverages.
First of all, you have to decide on the gas. So, if you brew ordinary beer varieties, a CO2 cylinder will suit you. If you are interested in Guinness and various stouts, you will need a nitrogen tank.
Each gas comes with a certain level of pressure. Therefore, for the correct operation of the system, it is necessary to acquire pressure regulators: primary and secondary.
The primary or main regulator controls the gas pressure at the outlet of the cylinder. The secondary regulator allows more precise regulation of the gas, as well as dispensing from several barrels at different pressures.
7. Cooling System
Source: beveragecraft.com
Good beer should be cool. Otherwise, it will lose its taste and aroma or even go bad.
An air or glycol cooling system solves the problem.
- Air cooling is designed for small establishments where kegs are located directly under the counter. It’s a fairly cheap and simple system.
- Glycol cooling uses a mixture of glycol and water. It is ideal for bars with long-draw dispensing systems, and establishments where the kegs are installed at a considerable distance from the bar. This system provides faster and more accurate cooling and maintains even the smallest temperature ranges.
Are you ready to buy everything you need to start your draught beer system?
Visit the beverage craft online store. It’s got everything a modern brewer needs! Sixtel kegs and other types of kegs, drip trays, beer, and air lines, faucets and shanks, glycol cooling systems, beer towers with taps and handles, kegerators, couplings, keg connectors, and more.
Most modern brewers, who care for the quality, efficiency, and reliability of the equipment, prefer to work with these products.
Choose beverage craft products – and you will successfully launch your craft brewing!
