Just like any bar tool and equipment, beer taps can have many different varieties to suit different kinds of beers. Basically, there are three main types of beer taps that prove to be very useful around many bars. There are beer taps that comes with pressure dispense feature for serving large amounts of beers. These are commonly used around commercial bars as they use external pressure to mobilize the beer inside the keg and out into the faucet. This type of beer tap usually gets is pressure from a nitrogen or carbon dioxide tank.
Portable keg taps are less bulky and easier to move hence they make perfect serving equipment during special events and occasions. Using pressure from its tap, beer is moved straight up from the keg then it’s ready to be served. A cask beer tap on the other hand do not come with its own pressure system. It is a rather simple way of dispensing beers as it will only have to be hammered near the end of barrel. As soon as the valve of the tap is opened, the beer usually pours out and into the glass on its own.
D system beer taps are popularly known as the American Sankey variety. These are perhaps the most commonly used beer tap system all around Canada and the United States. This beer tap system was developed to accommodate top American and craft brewery barrels or kegs. The S system on the other hand is commonly used by various breweries all over Europe popularly known as the European Sankey. Unlike the the D system, the S system comes with a long narrow probe design which is highly preferred by brewing companies like Heineken and Amstel Light. Other tap systems like the A, G, and U are used by other brewing companies such as the likes of Bass and Guinness.
Picnic beer taps are most appropriate for small sized single kegs that are perfect for picnics. These taps are generally inexpensive yet still a great way to serve and enjoy good beers stored in bronco or pony barrels. Picnic beer taps are usually used for recreational purposes by individuals or group of people.
For bigger gatherings, electric beer taps are the mostly preferred by party hosts as they are very easy to use. These taps generally operate using CO2 pressure tanks to allow better pouring and also to keep beers fresh much longer than usual.