What keg coupler do I need for a commercial keg?
Geterbrewed supplies a wide range of keg couplers for dispensing commercial kegs.
What is a keg coupler? It’s a device that unlocks the contents of a keg and allows you to dispense the liquid from within the keg to the draft tap it pours from. There are many different types of keg couplers as different breweries use different types of kegs. The coupler attaches to the top of the keg, it usually has two fittings that attach to a liquid pipe (beer line) for the beer and a gas pipe (gas line) for the flow of CO2 (carbon dioxide), the CO2 helps to push the beer out of the keg.
What brand or Type of coupler do I need?
A Type Coupler – Popular with German kegs (Paulaner, Carlsberg…. )
D Type Coupler – Popular with North American Beers, it’s the American version of our S Type (Bud, Coors..)
G Type Coupler – Popular in NI & UK (Carling, Tennents …)
S Type Coupler – Popular in NI & UK (Heineken, Becks)
U Type Coupler – Famously used by Guinness
Different regions can also use different couplers to the examples given above so we would suggest you enquire from the brewery, bar or off sales you’re purchasing the keg from as to what key coupler they use.
A few things to keep in mind are…
- A little tip for keeping your dispensing equipment in good working order is to strip it down regularly and clean it with a good quality cleaner like Geterbrewed Oxi No Rinse.
- Make sure you have the correct coupler on the keg and make sure all fittings are secure. The threads of the gas line may need a little PTFE plumbers tape to make sure there is no gas escaping
- The temperature at which you dispense the beer is important to prevent fobbing
- To assist with potential fobbing we would suggest you have an adequate length of beer line with either a flow control on the tap or a shut off valve on the liquid beer line to allow you to throttle the flow of the beer. We recommend stepping down the size of the beer line also
- Be aware there is a lot of different types of dispensing gas, if you’re wanting to dispense from a Guinness keg for example you’ll need a nitrogen mix gas and a nitro tap, commonly known as 70/30 (70%N2 & 30% CO2). Most other kegs will be dispensed with co2 or mixed gas. Beer gas mix affects the performance and taste, you can dispense with 100% co2 but most pubs use a 50/50 mix.
- You can make all our couplers quick release by adding John Guest quick release fittings and hard and clear beer line, the threaded fitting 5/8 BSP to 3/8 beer line is perfect for attaching to the couplers
If you need help troubleshooting keg dispensing problems please get in touch for assistance.
If you would like to know more about kegging at home, check out our blog below.