SPECIAL REPORT: Remote Beer Dispensing Gallery

Welcome to our April 2012 product gallery, wherein we look at remote beer dispensing. We invited developers of this custom equipment to submit details on their capabilities, and we gathered that information for you below. You won’t find information here on direct-draw, undercounter refrigeration and keg units, but you can find suppliers of these units at our online Buyers Guide. Simply go to our guide at fermag.com and search under “Beer Dispensers & Systems” for a full list of all beer dispensing equipment suppliers.—Ed.

AUTOMATIC BAR CONTROLS

Wunder-Bar beer dispensing equipment and systems feature Beer Boss glycol chillers with air- or water-cooled compressors ranging from 1/3 to 1½ hp. Designed for all types of operations—from small taverns (with line runs of 25’ to 50’) up to large restaurants, casinos and stadiums (with line runs of 150’ to 300’)—Beer Boss recirculating glycol systems deliver consistently cold beer with less foam. Beer Boss condensers are thicker for greater cooling capacity, says Automatic Bar Controls, and thermostats are solid state to provide greater control of the glycol bath temperature—within 1ºF to 2ºF consistently. Wunder-Bar also offers all-stainless beer faucets and towers designed to eliminate "keg bounce" caused by opening and closing of a traditional type beer faucet. The Stainless One faucet can increase keg yield by eliminating this effect. The company offers full turn-key systems, including beer regulators, beer pump panel systems, Wunder-Bar’s empty keg detector and icing Viper towers. wunderbar.com

CHILL-RITE

Along with other innovative beverage dispensing products, Chill-Rite produces beer dispensing systems that the company guarantees will deliver 32ºF beer to the taps in your bar regardless of walk-in cooler temperatures. The company makes two different glycol chiller systems. Its traditional Millennium system is designed to provide an 8ºF drop in temperature of beer stored in a 40ºF walk-in as it leaves the keg, and hold it at 32ºF until it’s dispensed at the tap in the bar. Three models–1/3, ½ and ¾ hp, are offered to suit almost any operation, and their fully sealed recirculating glycol system means almost no glycol dissipation. The other system, the Chill-Rite 32, uses glycol-cooled cold blocks mounted in the walk-in to pre-chill beer before its journey through the lines to the tap, which ensures 32ºF beer even when walk-in temperatures rise as high as 60ºF. The cold blocks can be used for all or just a few beer lines, and the Millennium system can easily be upgraded to include CR 32 cold blocks. The company also manufactures and installs a complete line of towers and heads including frozen towers as part of its systems. chillrite32.com

GLASTENDER

Glastender’s remote draft beer line chillers are available in ratings from 1/3 hp to ¾ hp for line runs up to 400’. The high- efficiency heat exchanger allows for a small 1-gal. glycol bath that’s sealed to prevent dilution due to condensation. Glastender’s patented design lets you put the control panel with thermostat, glycol bath and recirculating pump(s) in a more conveniently accessible location separate from the condensing unit. Glastender’s range of towers includes special molded aluminum cooling blocks that envelop the shank of the beer faucet for maximum thermal transfer. As the chilled glycol recirculates throughout the system, it chills the aluminum cold plate, which in turns chills the faucets, minimizing foam. A unique drain pan design includes a seamlessly integrated rear deck where the column mounts so that any splashes around the column also go down the drain rather than rest on the bar top. glastender.com

LANCER

Lancer’s Glycol Chiller Plate Beer System delivers consistently cold beer with almost zero waste and has the added capability of forming ice on the beer towers, all with the same chiller. With a comprehensive range of glycol chillers, fabricated s/s decorative beer towers and faucets, the Lancer Glycol Chiller Plate system offers the operator a level of quality and flexibility not available in conventional beer systems, says Lancer. The chiller plate has no moving parts, is easy to install and provides consistently cold beer temperatures that reduce waste. These specially designed molded cold plates house both the beer product lines and glycol lines which chill the chiller plate to the desired temperature. As beer moves through the plate, the excess heat is removed resulting in consistently cold beer, regardless of the keg storage temperature. Available in 4-, 6- and 8-product versions, the Lancer Glycol Chiller Plate can be easily mounted either horizontally or vertically, inside the cooler or under the bar. Plus, Lancer Beer Systems incorporate the G56 Flojet beer pump from Xylem, an economical unit that uses 100% CO₂ at a low pressure on top of the beer. This approach means the beer lines are then pressurized by the Flojet G56 beer pumps, which themselves are run by an oil-free air compressor, adding further savings over expensive mixed gasses and blenders. lancerbeer.com

xylemflowcontrol.com/beverage-dispensing/air-operated-diaphragm-pumps/

MICRO MATIC

Micro Matic has expanded its products and services to offer a complete system solution to operators interested in increasing their return on investment from draft beer. Micro Matic is capable of providing operators with a variety of dispensing components, anywhwere from walk-in coolers to ensure that the temperature of the beer is never an issue to high quality stainless steel equipment for the under bar. The company uses Brewmaster II moisture barrier beer lines with a nylon lining to prevent flavor migration and minimize bacterial growth. Its patented Kool-Rite beer towers are serviceable from the front and put glycol lines within 1” of the faucet to keep beer cold all the way to the glass. All stainless tower and faucet construction ensures product integrity. The PRO-MAX (profit maximizer) empty beer keg detector automatically shuts off flow from empty kegs before lines fill with foam. And a cleaning system helps you make sure the beer is always at its best. micromatic.com

PERFECTION EQUIPMENT
Perfection uses a unique beer chiller that features a sealed glycol system and a co-axial evaporator. Three copper glycol lines sit inside a 1 1/8” copper evaporator coil that chills the glycol. The chillers also use a hot gas valve to control evaporator pressure instead of a thermostat to regulate glycol temperature. This means the compressor runs continuously and more efficiently, saving energy and extending the life of the compressor while maintaining constant glycol temperature. Compressors range from 1/3 hp to ¾ hp to meet your conditions. The innovative design of the temperature controls greatly decreases the amount of glycol required in the system, and the sealed system extends the glycol life in humid environments. The company’s beer towers are all cold-blocked and insulated. Trunk lines are made with color-coded barrier tubing with moisture wrap, foil wrap, ¾” insulation (1” optional) and exterior PVC wrap. Options include a full range of accessories, including the Beermizer empty keg valve. perfectequip.com

PERLICK

This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the company’s Century system, which uses copper coolant lines to keep beer cold up to 700’ away. Perlick also manufactures almost every component of the system, including glycol chillers, dispensing towers, drip pans, trunk housing, regulator panels, beer faucets and keg couplers, providing complete quality control over every element of the system. Each system is engineered and balanced at the factory, and trunk housings and towers are made specifically for each individual customer. New is the company’s Century II system, which allows customers to install the condensing unit portion of the glycol chiller outdoors to keep heat out of the building. It also has the capability to chill the beer down as much as 6º lower than the beer in the walk-in cooler, compensating for coolers that can’t maintain recommended beer serving temperatures of 36ºF to 38ºF. perlick.com