Hambleton Bard s30 dispenser

[RICAM]

Sorry to be a pain but can anyone tell me if using a tap attached to keg is going to be a problem. I don't have temperature control and only plan on using keg set up from October.. If i keep the serving pressure low, should i be able to dispense without too much foam? Thanks

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[Kev888]

Some people get on with them, but I've never liked directly attached taps myself. It looses one of the options for controlling foam, via the beer line length/bore, and (especially if you lack temperature control or like well carbonated beer) that can be a struggle sometimes. Even taps with a flow control facility aren't quite as good as balancing the line length/bore to your dispensing pressure, IMO.

[RICAM]

Back to the drawing board..... Thanks.

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[Wezzel]

If you use a few metres of 3/16" beer line and a party tap you should be fine come October. As long as the keg is kept is kept in a reasonably cool place. The line can just be coiled up and hung on the keg. Far better than having a tap mounted directly on the cornie post.


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[Kev888]

Or ditto for a proper dalex tap, which being plastic is still quite lightweight and dangle-able. Or a ready-made tap/font including stand and drip-tray.

TBH I think this is not as complicated as it may appear. The most challenging thing (depending on circumstances) is finding a local supplier of gas if you want to go the full-sized cylinder route. All the other parts are readily available, new or used.

[Fil]

fwiw i have a connect to keg tap and its never poured anything but foam.. 3 months i spent regretting the corny investment pouring jugs of foam waiting for em to settle to provide 1/3 a pint of ultra still beer!! then i found the forums and was pointed in the right direction..

[RICAM]

That's good advice. I did look into the keg tap and found loads of people complaining of foaming. The ready made tap/tower and stand would be ideal. Basically something similar to what is offered with the Hambleton Bard system. I can't see anything similar on Keg Kingdom. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Hopefully something already assembled.

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[Kev888]

There were several on eBay last I looked, new and used. You'd want to check the line size, but even then there are adaptors for most sizes. Perhaps someone else can make more specific recommendations as Ive always made my own mounts

[Fil]

there are pages of ex pub fonts and taps on ebay, some asking silly retail prices but lots of used 2nd/3rd use bargains still to be had. for a dalex style (black plastic) tap you can hang off a length of beerline think £5.00 + the cheaper taps having product labels on their handles like tetleys or heiniken. Branded fonts complete with taps and probably lights and python feeds should be available for £20+, the kicker being PnP as they are generally Big and heavy items so its worth hanging on for a local bargain you can c ollect.

Unbranded fonts and taps do fetch a bit more in auctions but if patient a bargain can still be had,
i picked up my brass 4 tap tower complete with taps for £50 and a 2hour return drive.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_odkw= ... p&_sacat=0

[RICAM]

Great advice. I have seen these kind of things on eBay but as a novice, i have no idea if they fit to a corny keg. If most can be fitted then I'm sure i could find a local bargain.

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[RICAM]

http://www.kegkingdom.co.uk/collections ... disconnect
Im guessing this kind of thing would fix into a vertical board?
I could still get the keg set up but request a change from the keg tap to this one and pay the difference

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[Fil]

that will work ok, but is still a bit rich for my blood, and while that style of silver tap is quite popular I prefer the simple black plastic dalex style simply for the removable spout for an easy soak clean between sessions while you will need to squirt up water to rinse or buy a special silicone boot to keep the fungus gnats off any residue with solid taps of that style.

99% of beertaps have JG pushfit elements embedded in their ends so beerline simply push fits in and seals. the 3 common sizes for last leg to tap beerline are 3/8" 5/16" and 3/16", which ever you end up with isnt crucial as stem adaptors to resize the fitting are easily found.

US imports or taps made for the US market however tend to have hosetails for beerline attachment, a bit more hassle but not a show stopper, just ensure you secure with a jubilee clip (3/8" OD beerline has an ID of 1/4" so will fit onto a 1/4" hosetail, Some US taps have a 3/8" barb, thats a little more problematic and will require a diy heath robinson PVC tube adapter..

fwiw we use thin 3/16" microline as a simple anti fobbing solution, the thin line reduces pressure along its length at a rough rate of circa 1 to 2 psi per foot length. So we can effect a nominal drop in pressure when the beer is released at the tap simply by having 4-6ft of microline between the keg and tap..

[RICAM]

Wow. Thanks for that. Some great info there. I see i can get the keg with a picnic tap which i assume is similar to a dalex tap? Its actually a lower price than the keg tape.

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[Fil]

even the picnic taps will benefit from a slight modification to include a length of 3/16" line, without it you may find you need to serve at a significantly lower pressure than that needed to maintain the desired level to avoid foam. that can be a minor or major pita depending on how rapidly you empty the keg, if drunk over a few days or weeks even the loss of condition due to a lower serving pressure may not even be that noticable, and will just require a quick keg vent prior to serving to vent of any excess pressure build up since last poured. And it can easily be remedied with a simple blast of higher pressure for upto a week.. kegging charts can be an invaluable guide through the relationship between pressure temperature and the resulting condition the 2 can provide.
http://www.kegerators.com/articles/carb ... -chart.php

[RICAM]

Thanks everyone for the info. Im going to research this and hopefully get a set up by the end of the year. Still need to get my head around taps and beer lines etc. Its a complicated business for a beginner compared to something like the Hambleton bard system but obviously more efficient to run. Thanks again Rich.

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