Beer tap system

[niiiick]

Hi all,

I am working on a show set in a pub. We require one pump that works so that the barman can pour beer and the customer can drink it. Its a show without words just music and actions so the director is quite insistent that this works. The problem is that a couple of the actors have to drink and even 'skull' some beer from the tap, so obviously we cant use real beer. Is there anyway I could build or buy some sort of pump system that would link up with a container hidden in the bar to pour the fake beer or is there any other way of doing this? Our budget is limited but there is some money available.

I am in New Zealand if that helps.....

 

Thanks

 

Nick

[pritch]

Try looking for Cornelius kegs. They were originally used for dispensing soft drinks in bars and restaurants, but are now in use by home brewers for dispensing beer, and can be connected to a proper bar tap. Both the keg, the system to pressurise it with carbon dioxide, and the tap will be available from home brew suppliers.

 

Doing it this way has the advantage over "some sort of pump system" in that it's pretty much silent, with no electrical whirring or whatever.

[Ynot]

What about these draft at home mini kegs that Carling (I think) were pushing recently?

Could one of those be adapted?

[adamharman]

If you're not using real beer, the length of pipe doesn't really matter. Can you feed it from a tank at a suitable height backstage?

Beer is normally run at around 10-15 PSI, so you only need a head of about 1.5m to give the right flow. Should be a cheap easy solution.

[boswell]

100 centimeter of water = 1.42 psi approx

so you need around 10mtrs head to give you 15 psi approx

[adamharman]

10-15 PSI, so you only need a head of about 1.5m ???

 

 

100 centimeter of water = 1.42 psi approx

so you need around 10mtrs head to give you 15 psi approx

 

It does of course help if you press * instead of / on the calculator....

 

10 metres it is

 

That said, the pressure is mostly to keep the gas in the beer and there's generally a flow regulator on or just before the tap to slow it down. So a lower pressure would still give you the flow. The problem with beer is it's sticky and froths up quite easily. Other liquids, even if carbonated, will work at lower pressures without the flow regulator.

[niiiick]

There is height backstage but the pipe would have to run under the bar to the front of it, which is a good few meters (the bar is like a H shape) so I am not sure that the pressure would sustain, but I might do a test and find out. I have looked at the cornelius keg idea and its a possibility, the other idea I had and have been told about is having a mini electric pump that can be bought from garden centres here, and according to the guy I asked who has some knowledge about pumps, said that these pumps have a lot of pressure and would have no problem with a substance other than water going through them, so I am also going to look further into this option as it would be cheaper and easier as well I think.

[cedd]

I once rescued a beer pump from a closing pub. The unit had a pressure sensor on the output that would detect if the tap had been opened. They are available if you can find a pub that is closing (there seem to be a lot recently!).

 

Mine was never actually used to pump beer after I got hold of it, indeed I think it was last used for launching bottle rockets. It had an awful lot of pressure behind it!

 

In this case, I think gravity feed may well be the best option. Pond pumps aren't designed under hygiene standards!

[henny]

have a look at water systems used for caravans

 

some have a 12v submersable pump, then a pressure switch , it keeps the system at a set pressure , open the tap pressure drops pump kicks in, close the tap pressure builds pump stops

 

see http://www.leisureshopdirect.com/caravan/w...ter_system.aspx

[timtheenchanteruk]

what he said, the expensive part of that would be the pressure switch, althought there are caravan breakers around.

there are some here

pump, depends on where your barrel will be, but brand new from around £13 that wil give around 8L per min at about a 2M lift, but higher rated pumps are there up to 30Lpm.

 

find a tap, and sorted.

[kerry davies]

I am confused...why not speak to your local brewery and borrow a handpump a la real ales? They might even pay you something for the advertising/sponsorship? Why re-invent the wheel, you could use any container, any liquid and the process of "pulling a pint" would allow for more creative "business".

[the kid]

Is it going to be seen?

 

Perhaps some pre filled glasses OR glasses that are filled by some one hidden down behind the bar.

 

For the pump - no idea (maybe some of the above suggestions) but over here often antique shops have them.

[Ricky]

There is a pump you can buy that connects to an electric drill would that work all you hae to do is have someone under the bar a big bottle of liquid and on que they switch the drill on at the correct speed then all you need is the bar tap.

[smalljoshua]

But who would want to drink a liquid that has been through a pump designed to empty a pond/pool.

 

Not exactly food hygiene.

 

Josh

[themadhippy]

pity your not local as were about to get rid of one of our real ale pumps/beer engine