Picnic tap vs regular tap

[ElDuderino]

I just started kegging in cornies a month ago and although I have a couple standard chrome taps, I couldn't decide where I wanted to place them and so just went with picnic taps in the meantime.

I have been totally happy with this arrangement and although it doesn't look as sleek as having a couple tap handles on the fridge, my two year old wont surprise me by pulling the handles, either.

But I'm curious whether people notice a difference between a pour from a picnic tap and one from a regular tap... I carbed my kegs at 12 psi and have them set to 10 psi using 3' 3/16 lines. They seem to pour pretty fast, although foaming is not an issue. If beer pours fast (even if it doesn't foam) can this make a beer taste flatter?

 

[944play]

Three feet is way short, but if you don't have any problems, what's the problem? Does your beer taste flat?

If 12psi is your desired equilibrium and you're compensating for short beer lines by dispensing at 10psi, the beer will lose some carbonation over time.

 

[ElDuderino]

It does taste a little flat to me... May be I would be better off using 6' lines with 12 psi? I only have 3' lines, because I ordered them pre-made, but I can swap tubing.

 

[whale]

temp in your fridge will make a difference on psi. lower the temp, more carb in beer.
you've carbed @12psi then down to 10psi. as you drink the beer, it will set @ 10psi = flatter beer.
picnic tap has less foaming problem because the whole tap tends to stay in the fridge.

 

[maida7]

I use a 10' line. The long line adds resistance and make it pour slowly. Some styles require higher carbonation. Like Belgians and weisse beers. With a long line I can have the pressure jacked up high for those beers and still they pour at a reasonable rate with no foam. With lower carbonation beers it pours slower but not stupid slow.

I like the metal faucets cause you can mount them and catch the drippies. With the picnic taps you have to shake it dry before you put it back or it makes a mess. Teaching the women folk to shake it dry has been a challenge.

 

[IrregularPulse]

Shoot me an email address in a PM and I'll email you a great Excel spreadsheet to figure out nominal line length based on the ID of the tubing you're using, desired temperature, and desired volumes of CO2. I have 5' of 3/16th line at 40°F for around 2.5 volumes of CO2. Tank regulator is set to 10-11 psi.

 

[ElDuderino]

Thanks for all the responses -- they've been very helpful!

 

[MyNameIsPaul]

Zombie Thread Resurrection!

The place I got my keg kit gave me about 18" for my picnic tap...shouldn't it be a LOT longer, say 10 ft?

I can get decent head on the beer, but low carbonation. Am I just blowing it all out due to the short line?

 

[jds]

When I first started kegging, I served out of short lines. It works, but I would have to cut the gas pressure back to 5 PSI or so and vent the keg prior to serving, then bump the pressure back up at the end of the session. I used up a lot of gas doing that.

3/16 beer line is pretty inexpensive, so I bought 20' and modified both of my picnic taps for 10' serving lines. Much better.

 

[maida7]

Zombie Thread Resurrection!

The place I got my keg kit gave me about 18" for my picnic tap...shouldn't it be a LOT longer, say 10 ft?

I can get decent head on the beer, but low carbonation. Am I just blowing it all out due to the short line?

Yeah you need a longer line to provide some resistance to the pressure. Hose diameter is also very important. 6'-10' of 3/16"ID line is the standard. I highly recommend you get high quality tubing. The quality of the tubing makes a big difference and the good stuff is only a few bucks more. Mircomatic and more beer both sell very good tubing.

 

[MyNameIsPaul]

Thanks guys! I'll get 10' of the good stuff soon.

 

[ryno99]

Kegging for the first time and plan to serve with picnic taps. The local HBS sold me 3' and told me to use a serving pressure of 2-5psi. Does this sound correct?

 

[maida7]

Kegging for the first time and plan to serve with picnic taps. The local HBS sold me 3' and told me to use a serving pressure of 2-5psi. Does this sound correct?

You will not get very good carbonation at 2-5 psi unless the beer is ridiculously cold.

check out this chart http://www.kegerators.com/carbonation-table.php

If you decide to go with more pressure you will need a longer serving line for resistance.