Membership questions? Log in issues? Email info@brewersassociation.org

Author Topic: Picnic taps  (Read 9331 times)

Offline Stevie

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 6858
Re: Picnic taps
« Reply #15 on: February 14, 2016, 10:11:16 am »

I have been draping the picnic line as mabrungard suggests with the same thought in mind.
+1 - I have been spritzing some sanitizer in the faucet and added a quart deli container to catch drips. The other thing I have found is a very hard deposit that is near impossible to get off of the soft stopper. No clue what it is. It's off white-light yellow and develops in little colonies. Maybe beer stone that starts at a single point and continually builds up?

Offline narcout

  • Brewmaster General
  • *******
  • Posts: 2217
  • Los Angeles, CA
Re: Picnic taps
« Reply #16 on: February 14, 2016, 10:35:40 am »
One thing about taps exposed to ambient temps- they get nasty and moldy real quick. I keep a spray bottle of starsan on the kegorator to spritz out the faucet after every pour. Seems to do the trick but it's a good idea to clean the tap on a consistent basis.

Never had the same problem with a cobra tap kept cold in a fridge.

Are you using forward sealing faucets?  I've never had any mold issues with my Perlicks. 

I flush the lines with Iodophor between kegs, but that's about it for regular maintenance.
Sometimes you just can't get enough - JAMC

Offline euge

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 8017
  • Ego ceruisam ad bibere cervisiam
Re: Picnic taps
« Reply #17 on: February 14, 2016, 10:39:31 am »
Rear sealing I think.
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

Laws are spider-webs, which catch the little flies, but cannot hold the big ones. -Anacharsis

Offline kgs

  • Senior Brewmaster
  • ******
  • Posts: 1068
  • Sonoma County, CA
Re: Picnic taps
« Reply #18 on: February 15, 2016, 07:39:58 am »
As long as the tap and line remain chilled there isn't a problem with staling or cleanliness. And I've never had a cobra tap leak on it's own accord- always something I did like squishing it between the door and side of keg or something along those lines.

A 5' line is a little better for maintaining the carbonation in the pour. There's a formula out there to figure out the serving line lengths needed for the desired carbonation volumes.

I've heard that about 5-foot lines. Looking at various online homebrew stores, most sell 5-foot lines. There must be a reason for that. Though per online calculators from reputable sources, the length should be shorter.

L = (keg_pressure – 1 psi) / Resistance
(per http://beersmith.com/blog/2011/07/14/keg-line-length-balancing-the-science-of-draft-beer/ )
Fridge = 38f ; Desired carbonation 2.0 (I see a lot of recipes list 2.4 for oatmeal stout, but that feels really high)
Elevation of line = 0
Beer line characteristics: 3/16" D; cold
PSI: oh wait... I have it at 10... per this it should be at 6:
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/attachments/0000/1312/Summerzym95-Kegging_How-To.pdf

So I ended up carbonating at 2.4 anyway! I can't remember why I set it at 10. Though I have to say I have the taste impression that level of carbonation took what was a mediocre (for me) stout that finished too sweet (aiming for more mouthfeel, I think I mashed too high) and made it much better.

But anyway, following the formula, the line should be 3 feet long: (10 – 1) / 3. If I went down to 8, then it's L=(8-1)/3 which is even shorter; if I went down to 6, shorter yet. But I have yet to hear of anyone using that short of a line.

So in conclusion... I'll ignore the formulas, keep using the four-foot line, and when it's time to build a second line, make it five feet long. :-)
K.G. Schneider
AHA Member

Offline Wort-H.O.G.

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4439
  • Play Nice
    • Harvey's Brewhaus
Re: Picnic taps
« Reply #19 on: February 15, 2016, 02:05:56 pm »

I just moved to a Perlick Flow Control faucet mounted directly at the keg (via an adapter). The whole thing stays refrigerated. I love it. I filled a bottle for the first time yesterday by turning the flow down and pouring from the tap. So easy! I did pop the faucet off the keg, dunk it in Starsan, and clean with a faucet brush before filling. But that cleaning step took about 20 seconds since removing the faucet is done by pulling on the QD at the keg.

The downside of this new setup is cost. It was about $100 for 1 keg. Also, you need head room above the keg. I have 2.5G kegs so that is no problem.



I found the coupler for $5 and the 690ss cream faucet for $59. How's that faucet work with this setup...any issues?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Ken- Chagrin Falls, OH
CPT, U.S.Army
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Harveys-Brewhaus/405092862905115

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Science_of_Mashing

Serving:        In Process:
Vienna IPA          O'Fest
Dort
Mead                 
Cider                         
Ger'merican Blonde
Amber Ale
Next:
Ger Pils
O'Fest

Offline tommymorris

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 3869
Re: Picnic taps
« Reply #20 on: February 15, 2016, 02:30:40 pm »


I just moved to a Perlick Flow Control faucet mounted directly at the keg (via an adapter). The whole thing stays refrigerated. I love it. I filled a bottle for the first time yesterday by turning the flow down and pouring from the tap. So easy! I did pop the faucet off the keg, dunk it in Starsan, and clean with a faucet brush before filling. But that cleaning step took about 20 seconds since removing the faucet is done by pulling on the QD at the keg.

The downside of this new setup is cost. It was about $100 for 1 keg. Also, you need head room above the keg. I have 2.5G kegs so that is no problem.



I found the coupler for $5 and the 690ss cream faucet for $59. How's that faucet work with this setup...any issues?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Most couplers say they don't work with flow control faucets. Chi Company has a specific Perlick flow control coupler.

http://www.chicompany.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=3343


Offline 123simplefix

  • 1st Kit
  • *
  • Posts: 12
Re: Picnic taps
« Reply #21 on: March 23, 2016, 04:48:36 pm »
Just adding some finishing touches to my keezer, noticed someone was looking for an idea to store picnic taps. Thought I'd share what I did. I used cup hooks and straightened the hook slightly, then drilled a hole in the tap handle to hang it.



Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk
« Last Edit: March 23, 2016, 04:50:53 pm by 123simplefix »

Offline euge

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 8017
  • Ego ceruisam ad bibere cervisiam
Re: Picnic taps
« Reply #22 on: March 23, 2016, 05:18:47 pm »
Just adding some finishing touches to my keezer, noticed someone was looking for an idea to store picnic taps. Thought I'd share what I did. I used cup hooks and straightened the hook slightly, then drilled a hole in the tap handle to hang it.



Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

Thank-you! Had the suction-cup type in my hand earlier today.

I'm headed to the garage... :D
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

Laws are spider-webs, which catch the little flies, but cannot hold the big ones. -Anacharsis

Offline Joe Sr.

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4467
  • Chicago - NORTH SIDE
Re: Picnic taps
« Reply #23 on: March 23, 2016, 05:27:00 pm »
I try to store the downward so anything left in the tap drips out. They can grow so funk up under the cap over time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It's all in the reflexes. - Jack Burton

Offline Stevie

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 6858
Re: Picnic taps
« Reply #24 on: March 23, 2016, 06:02:05 pm »

I try to store the downward so anything left in the tap drips out. They can grow so funk up under the cap over time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
+ 1 - while hanging them from the handle works for you, I'm clumsy at times and would likely knock open the valve when moving stuff around.

Offline 123simplefix

  • 1st Kit
  • *
  • Posts: 12
Re: Picnic taps
« Reply #25 on: March 23, 2016, 08:09:45 pm »
I try to store the downward so anything left in the tap drips out. They can grow so funk up under the cap over time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Shake it a couple  times! ;)

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk


Offline Joe Sr.

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4467
  • Chicago - NORTH SIDE
Re: Picnic taps
« Reply #26 on: March 24, 2016, 08:21:02 am »
I try to store the downward so anything left in the tap drips out. They can grow so funk up under the cap over time.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Shake it a couple  times! ;)

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk

IF you shake more than twice you're having too much fun.

But seriously, whatever it is that grows in there is nasty.  It's exactly as Stevie describes up above.  I change my picnic taps regularly to try to avoid this.

Also, although others have said there's no issue with staling or carbonation loss I find that the beer in my lines goes flat.  I typically pour the first few ounces, drink that (or toss it), and then fill the glass.  I don't pour pints all that often and have five kegs on tap right now, so it could simply be a time-based problem.
It's all in the reflexes. - Jack Burton

Offline kramerog

  • Brewmaster General
  • *******
  • Posts: 2262
    • My LinkedIn page
Re: Picnic taps
« Reply #27 on: March 24, 2016, 08:34:31 am »
I haven't notice any funk in the tap.  I do a thorough disassembly and cleaning between kegs and drain the tap between pours.

The taps unscrew and I have found that the taps can get loose causing leaks.

Offline 123simplefix

  • 1st Kit
  • *
  • Posts: 12
Re: Picnic taps
« Reply #28 on: June 26, 2016, 01:12:05 pm »
I haven't notice any funk in the tap.  I do a thorough disassembly and cleaning between kegs and drain the tap between pours.

The taps unscrew and I have found that the taps can get loose causing leaks.
I have a setup that I pump PBW through the lines filling the keg and let I recirculate for a while. I put a silicone line on the open party tap so it gets a cleaning at the same time as the keg, no funk.

Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk