For many people, a keg is the symbol of parties, picnics, and other gatherings. Summertime is the perfect season to use the metal container that can store and dispense pressurized liquids like beer. Kegs, however, are around all year long.
Standard kegs come in a variety of sizes; they can typically hold from five to 15.5 gallons. There is a hole on the top of the keg; a two-way valve allows beer to be filled into or removed from the container. You need a draft system, which uses compressed gas to dispense the beer.
Kegs are pieces of bar equipment that need some attention while in use. If you are transporting one, you need to give it time (about an hour) to settle down when you reach your destination; if not, you will experience excess foaming as you tap it. Since keg beer isn’t pasteurized, it needs to be refrigerated to stay fresh. Therefore, you need keg insulators. If kept cold, the beer will stay fresh for up to around 30 to 45 days after it’s been tapped. However, if a keg is tapped with a hand pump, instead of a CO2 dispenser, the beer should be consumed within a day. Happy tapping!