Keggers - Do you "tie-up" some taps with the same beer over and over?

[J2W2]

I've been curious on this for a while. When I first built my keezer with five taps, I never thought I'd always be wishing for more.

As I've brewed different beers, I found an oatmeal stout I really like that pretty much sits on my stout tap all the time. I've also had the same double IPA on tap for several years now. I do rotate new beers and old favorites on the other three taps.

I'd like to hear how others allocate their taps?

 

[FromZwolle]

i only have four taps at any given time, so i try to keep something crisp/refreshing, something dark, something hoppy, and the fourth spot rotates between cider and middle of the road type style (brown ale, alt, pale, etc.)

that's the plan most times, but ultimately whatever gets kegged first takes a tap spot. IF I can build any semblance of a pipeline, then i'll be a little more strategic with what's 'on deck'.

 

[day_trippr]

I run six faucets, one a stout tap that has had a chocolate imperial stout on beer gas for many years running now.
Another is where I put wheats (fruited or not), saisons, or kolches.
Three have had the same neipas on tap for the last two years: Julius and Juicy Bits clones, and a Galaxy-heavy recipe. I've done 11 (10 gallon) batches of Julius, 7 Juicy Bits, and 6 Galaxy's. I'm trying to expand that list Just did what I hope will be close to Sierra Nevada's Fantastic Haze to change things up a tad.
The last is for my "not regulars", and may have WCIPAs, SMASHes, other pale ales, and even a random English style warmer or ESB...

Cheers!

 

[Zemillard90]

I like to have a good mix (4 taps), very similar to @FromZwolle, trying to have something for varying tastes for when different people come to the house or at times determine lineups that would work well for the time of year. For the past year I did dedicate a tap to an IPA whose recipe I have been tweaking, which was fun.

 

[J2W2]

Right now I have a nut brown ale on tap one, which is a rotational favorite. I have a kolsch on tap two. It's the first time I've brewed a kolsch, and only my second "light" beer (first was an American cream ale.) I really like the kolsch and it was perhaps the easiest beer I've brewed. Tap three is my nitro with the oatmeal stout. Tap four has my double IPA. Tap five has a German alt beer, which is my wife's favorite, so it's a frequent rotation.

The wife won't drink stouts or porters, so no nitro for her. She hates IPAs, which kind of limits me to only having one on tap. At least she willing to drink most other styles.

 

[moreb33rplz]

I have two taps at any given time. I don't have any rules or strict schedule, but 80% of my beer is a pale lager or an APA.

 

[Konadog]

4 taps that usually have an IPA, Pale Ale, and an easy ale that anyone can drink. The 4th I rotate with something different, really when I try different recipes.

PS, it's hard to keep 4 taps going, but I try my best.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

I have 4 taps, 2 are neipa taps on the regular, not usually the exact same as i throw in different dry hops to change it up a little but same basic recipe. the other 2 depend, usually something light in one, kolsch or cream ale and the last one is my seasonal or experiment tap. last summer at one point all 4 were pouring some sort of ipa just cause i worked out that way, had the neipas on 2, a wcipa on one and my attempt at a session ipa that wasnt so sessiony haha ooops.

 

[FswBG]

I'm with you, I never thought I would max out my keezer, but more often than not I have more beer than taps. I have 4 taps, with 1 always dedicated to water. So between the remaining 3, I generally have my house pale or an IPA and the rest are always random. I enjoy brewing with the season or trying new styles to keep things fresh. Currently, I have a Helles and a Baltic Porter that are lagering and I just kicked my Schwarzbier and WhiteIPA.
Hoping to add another tap or two in the near future.

 

[firerat]

My 2 taps are random.

I went a year and some change brewing the same IPA and stout over and over again until I started doing it fairly consistent so for a while I alwys had the stout and IPA.

Now I'm all over the place. LOL

 

[odie]

I try to rotate my 3 taps but I keep getting requests to repeat the same stuff over and over...my friends have no variety...I need a bigger kegerator...

 

[pvpeacock]

4 taps:
-Soda Water all the time
-Kombucha all the time
-IPA all the time
-rotating tap. I usually rotate between Saison, lager, Kolsch and every once in a blue moon a stout.

I am considering adding a 5 tap for another beer selection since I already have an available gas line and room for the extra keg in the keezer.

 

[moreb33rplz]

Do you do anything to keep your kombucha liquid and gas taps separate from your the beer? Just started my kombucha tap and I keep it totally separate but it's a pain and not sure if it's necessary

 

[TheBluePhantom]

I try to rotate my 3 taps but I keep getting requests to repeat the same stuff over and over...my friends have no variety...I need a bigger kegerator...

Or better friends... Those who dare complain about free beer are destined to go thirsty.


I went big on the keezer, 10 kegs. 3 for soda, the rest vary. I try for a variety, so with cider, mead, sometimes skeeter pee, flavored beers, something light, something dark... It still gets full. And Covid slowed everything down so the marzen is almost full.... Kind of a rule, the keezer/kegerator is always one keg too small....

 

[matt_m]

I am starting to develop some "house" beers that I pretty much always have but just added 3 taps to my existing 4 to add more variety.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

I have 16 taps, one of the being a stout/nitro faucet.
I always keep a saison on tap and a Flanders Brown, usually an old ale, & a sweet stout on the nitro faucet, three are for my wife with ciders and hard lemonade, the others have whatever is available. I haven't been able to brew much for a while, due to work, moving and tragedy, but still have more than enough to keep all populated. Before this job role, I always kept at least two IPAs on tap as well. We would often times have parties, so there was always plenty to share.

 

[Jayjay1976]

I switch my **** up, always something new.

 

[Punx Clever]

I've got 4 faucets, and brew 11 gallon batches... so notionally a tap is tied up for two kegs at a time.

Not exactly "over and over" in that respect...

But, there are batches that I keep on a regular rotation in the brew schedule. So, seasonally, they take up more time on my taps than not.

 

[J2W2]

I have 16 taps, one of the being a stout/nitro faucet.

Do you have pictures of that bad boy? Sixteen taps sounds crazy!

 

[Dr_Jeff]

If you hunt in the show me your kegerator thread, you can see some pics of the big one and one of the smaller ones at my old house, the iPad on the shelf above the big one shows what is on tap via raspberry pints.

What I have is three 24" kegerators with 3 faucet towers and one larger one with three towers, two of which have three faucets and one with the stout faucet. All are commercial units, either Beverage Air or True, most were found on Craigslist. A couple of them I traveled ~100 miles each way to pick them up, but I felt a good deal was worth it. To get them, it was just a couple hour drive each way on a Saturday, so no biggie.

One of the small size is one the covered part of the back porch (it has the ciders and hard lemonade for my wife & her friends), another is in the garage that is attached to the house, the third small one and the big one are in the detached garage that I am turning into a bar/man cave area. I was able to get the walls & ceiling done in that area the last time I was home. This time home, I'll get the ceiling fans put up, the bar built and the two kegerators online. I have a glass rinser that I will be adding in as well. The bar top will will be the old countertop from the house, as my wife had them replaced with granite. The walls are paneling that looks like pallet wood, the ceiling is corrugated metal roofing, the front and exposed side of the bar will be corrugated roofing as well. I'll add a TV, and at some time it all will be closed in to a room. Possibly during my summer or fall rotation home. I'll post some pics when I get done with the "man cave area".

 

[Jim N]

I have 4 taps and I mostly maintain the following lineup: 1) IPA/Pale Ale 2) Stout/Porter 3) Something for the rest of the world (cider / seltzer / etc...) 4) current whim... right now it's a Munich Dark Lager

 

[2BedroomBrewing]

Being in an apartment, I only have 2 taps so I cant commit to a single recipe. In general though I try to keep one for ales and one for lagers/kolsches/altbiers.

The two kegs also serve as my two fermenters so timing is crucial... have to bottle some batches to manage the pipeline

 

[crazyjake19]

I have 4 taps in the dining room directly above my brewing room where the keezer sits. Tap 1 is always a beer, tap 2 is cider, tap 3 is cold brew coffee, and tap 4 is usually seltzer (non-alcoholic). The lone dining room beer tap often rotates depending on the time of year (Irish stout, cream ale/pilsner, Oktoberfest, etc). The rest of my finished beers are served from my keezer via picnic taps, though I'm considering adding an Intertap faucet or two to the keezer collar for easier serving there.