A more profitable pour: evaluating your draft beer system.

There are two basic types of draft beer systems--those that lose profits and those that generate profits. What's the difference? What makes one system a moneymaker, and another a system that only pours foam? Very often it isn't the system itself, nor is it the beer in the keg, but rather it is a function of how the system is set-up, used, and maintained. Seeing a bartender pour foamy beer down the drain, or having a keg go flat, or hearing members say that the beer tastes "funny" are all examples of how a draft beer system loses profits. Fortunately, all of these symptoms can be corrected.

Very often a draft beer system is losing 20 percent of the profit yield due to the situations just mentioned. How much profit is that? A keg set up correctly should generate around 136 pint glasses of beer with a 3/4" head. If you lose 20 percent of the yield, that is 27 lost glasses per keg, and if you sell each pint for $4.00 a glass, that's $108.00 per keg. If you sell one keg a week, that works out to over $5,000.00 per year that is lost. Would you tolerate your chefs throwing out 20 percent of the meals they prepared, or the pro shop losing 20 percent of the inventory? So why tolerate losing 20 percent of your profits from draft beer sales?

Whether you are using a basic direct draw system, an air-cooled system, or a glycol bath system, it is essential that the correct temperature be maintained; the right gas and pressure be utilized; and the system be properly cleaned and maintained on a regular basis.

All draft dispenser systems must be able to maintain 38-degrees F liquid temperature in the keg storage area and all the way to the faucet. This is the ideal temperature for storing and serving because at this temperature the beer will look and taste the best. The right gas to use and the correct pressure to apply is determined by the type of beer and type of draft system that is used. Compressed air should never be used as a pressure source for pushing the beer from the keg to the faucet. The brew masters that make the beer you serve all agree that air should never be introduced to draft beer because it can carry impurities that will lead to dirty lines, off tastes and aromas, and causing the beer to go flat.

A basic direct draw system is often referred to as a kegerator. This is a self-contained thermostatically-controlled refrigeration unit that often is located in the bar area, and can hold one to five barrels at a time. The faucets are located on a draft tower placed on top of the kegerator, and beer is dispensed directly from the kegs to the glass. These units should never be used to store other items such as cocktail garnishments, as those items can leave behind flavors and aromas that can impact the taste of the beer. Proper dispensing of most domestic beers utilizes pure CO2 applied directly to the kegs normally at 12 to 14 lbs. psi. Stouts or Nitrogenous beers should use a mixture of Nitrogen and CO2 and are often set at 30 lbs. psi or higher. One drawback to the kegerator is the number of kegs that can be stored in the unit.

If you are a higher volume account, you might want to consider a wall-mounted direct draw system. This unit is a walk-in cooler that can store an unlimited number of kegs, and dispenses the beer directly from the kegs to the faucets through shanks that are placed in the wall of the cooler. Like the kegerator, it is essential that the unit be able to maintain 38-degrees F in the walk-in and at the faucet. Beer that is too warm will foam excessively at the faucet. Beer that is too cold will have a small head on the glass, which means you are overpouring the glass--and once again losing profits.

Air-cooled systems come in two varieties: double-air shaft and single-air shaft. The double-air shaft has two shafts: one for the beer lines and cold air going to the standard, or font or draft column; the second shaft is the return shaft for the cold air that has warmed as it traveled to the tower. The double shaft is limited to 25 feet in length, and if you have any 90-degree bends you lose five feet of length for each turn. Because the shafts are connected to the walk-in cooler, you can have a larger number of kegs stored and dispensed than a kegerator. The walk-in should be able to maintain the 38-degrees F in the kegs. You can expect some warming of the beer as it travels to the faucet, but that temperature change should not be greater than 3-degrees F.

The single shaft system is actually a tube within a tube. The inner tuber holds the beer lines and carries the cold air to the dispense area. The outer tuber carries the warmer air back to the cooler for re-cooling. The system is limited to 15 feet, and once again five feet is lost for every 90-degree turn. The pressure source for either air-cooled system should use a gas blender that mixes Nitrogen and CO2 at the proper percentages in order to maintain the quality of the beer. Using premixed bottles of Nitrogen and CO2 on most beers other than stouts can lead to flat beer over time. If you see that some of your premium beers are going flat when they still have beer left, you should check the gas source for premixed cylinders, and change them to a gas blender. While flat beer doesn't foam, it does lead to lost profits when customers don't make repurchases of their favorite brew.

Many establishments are now looking for low-maintenance, high-efficiency draft systems and are turning to glycol bath systems to answer that need. A glycol bath (food grade anti-freeze) is refrigerated by a power pack and used to maintain temperature to the dispense tower. The glycol bath can maintain a more consistent product temperature; however, it cannot cool the beer if the walk-in temperature is too warm. This system is great for longer distances, and can properly dispense beer up to 500 feet from the keg. This system will also use a gas blender to properly pressurize the system without over- or under-carbonating the beer. As with the other systems, it is essential that the area where the kegs are stored be able to maintain a 38-degree liquid temperature. Storing other items in the cooler can lead to excessive door openings, which will lead to warm beer and excess foam at the faucets. The glycol bath itself uses a food grade refrigerant to prevent the coolant lines from freezing. Using inferior grades of refrigerant can damage the pumps that circulate the anti-freeze.

Another value-added item for the glycol bath system is the FOB. This device detects foam in the system, particularly when the keg empties, and shuts off the flow of beer to the faucet. This prevents the loss of beer in the beer line, which could add up to hundreds of glasses of beer and hundreds of dollars of profit in a week at a higher volume location.

If you have outdoor functions, you should consider using portable kegerators if there are electrical outlets available, and coil box or cold plate devices when there are not. When using the coil box or cold plate units be sure to run beer through the systems before adding the ice to the unit. Adding the ice before filling the plate or coil with beer could lead to the unit freezing up and beer not pouring. Single-keg party carts or stainless steel mobile bars are also very attractive ways to dispense draught beer when electricity is not available.

The final step for profitable dispensing of draft beer is maintaining a consistent cleaning schedule for the system and the glassware. For any system, whether a kegerator or a glycol bath, it is essential that the system be cleaned at least every two weeks. Coil boxes and cold plates should be thoroughly cleaned at the end of each event. This cleaning schedule will prevent the build up of bacteria, mold, and yeast in your dispenser system, all of which could lead to lost profits. Make certain that line cleaners are using the proper grade of cleaning solution and that they are flushing the system thoroughly with a cold-water rinse following each cleaning. Rinsing the system with beer is not only costly but also ineffective for ensuring that the lines are free of chemicals. If your customers notice a distinct change in the taste of the beer after the lines have been cleaned, then you aren't cleaning your lines properly or often enough.

Another step a club could take to ensure good tasting beer is to use stainless steel fittings wherever the beer contacts a metal surface. Stainless steel will help to reduce the amount of build-up of the bacteria, yeast, and mold and will not corrode and leave metal deposits in the beer lines or the beer glass. For cleaning the beer glasses, always use a clean glass that has been rinsed with cold water before pouring the beer. Never use household dish detergents for washing the glasses, as a film build-up can occur which could cause foaming in the glass.

One other point: when it comes to properly dispensing the beer, never use a frozen glass. Using one will cause excessive foaming due to the impact of the temperature of the glass and the ice crystals in it.

A draft beer system that is properly installed and maintained will help your club generate new sales to new members and guests, revitalize sales to existing members, and help to improve bottom line profits for the club.

Consider this....

A keg set up correctly should generate around 136 pint glasses of beer with a 3.4" head. So, if you:

* Lose 20 percent of the yield, that is 27 lost glasses per keg;

* And, if you sell one keg a week, that amounts to $5,000 per year that is poured down the drain.

Types of Draft Beer Systems ...

* Basic Direct Draw System (or Kegerator): Self-contained refrigeration unit that can usually hold up to five barrels at one time. Faucets located on a draft tower dispense beer directly from the keg to the glass.

* Wall-Mounted Direct Draw System: Designed for higher Volume operations, this device uses a walk-in cooler that can store an unlimited number of kegs.

Types of Cooling Systems ...

* Air-Cooled Systems (Single- and Double-Shaft): Warm air is circulated through a tube back to the cooler for chilling.

* Glycol Bath: Food grade anti-freeze is refrigerated by a power pack and used to keep coolant lines from freezing.

Richard Banks is the national accounts manager at Micro Matic. He can be reached at 800-435-6950 or [e-mail]. Micro Matic is the world's leading supplier of draft beer dispensing equipment.