Keg noob, serving a few kegs at my wedding

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brew2enjoy

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Well, as the title states, I am tying the knot in September. Swmbo suggested that I serve some of my homebrew at the reception :ban:. The reception is going to be in our back yard, just a simple social gathering with music and hors d'oeuvres. I just got into kegging and currently have 2 pin lock kegs and a single 5# co2 tank in a kegorator. Being that the kegorator is inside, I will probably put the kegs in some bins filled with ice and serve them with picnic taps from the one co2 tank with a T splitting to each keg. The two beers will be a cream ale and a pumpkin ale so serving pressures should be the same.

is there anything I should be aware of when serving from picnic taps? Should the pressure be lowered for serving that day? Obviously I will make sure they are carbed to the proper volume prior to that day. I am also a little concerned with moving the kegs around and kicking up sediment. I want these beers to be CRYSTAL CLEAR! Any advice is appreciated! If anyone has any additional advice for me that would be great as well.
 
Test the pressure on serving day to make sure the picnic taps aren't serving too much foam. Use finings to make sure the beer is clear before kegging. My 2 cents.
Btw Congrats
 
First, congrats on your impending nuptial! :)

You should do the math (serving temperature vs your carb volume to determine the beer line length to your picnic taps. I often see way too short lines being used and the result can be aggravating. I'd be sure to have at least 6 feet of 3/16 vinyl on each tap, and 10 feet isn't unreasonable at all.

As well, if the kegs warm from the temperature that you carbed the brews, CO2 will want to come out of solution, resulting in persistent foamy pours. Some LHBS rent jockey boxes which can be very helpful in maintaining beer temp at the faucet, avoiding the need to flatten the beer in advance.

As for the potential for cloudy pours, you can reduce that to some degree by either doing a gelatin treatment or an extended crash-cool, then drawing a couple of pints off the kegs. Neither will be absolute because the shape of the keg bottom will typically hold some of what drops out beyond the reach of the dip tube...

Cheers! And best wishes to you and your spousal unit ;)
 
I guess my biggest problem is how to know what temps the kegs will be at when on the ice. They will be at 39-40 degrees in my kegorater until the reception starts.
 

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