How does a beer tap valve work?

Drawing beer takes some practice. In addition to the right temperature, a perfect head of foam should of course not be missing. Many beer dispenser systems use a so-called beer tap for this purpose.

This has a number of advantages over a conventional piston tap. In the following, we will explain what these are and how a beer tap actually works.

How a beer tap valve works

A beer tap should help to draw foam-free beer. For this purpose, the beer in the tap is led through a very narrow gap. So it can relax without losing its carbonic acid.

In order for a beer tap to function properly, a comparatively high tap pressure of around 1.3 bar is required. In addition, it is of course important that the beer is well pre-chilled.

Because if the temperature at the tap significantly exceeds six degrees, foam-free tapping is usually no longer possible even with a beer tap.

In addition, for a properly functioning beer tap, it is necessary to take into account the pipe loss, the saturation pressure and the loss of height. This works with the beer tap using a small lever on the side, with which the desired beer flow can be set.

Differences between a beer tap and a conventional piston tap

Basically, two types of tap can be distinguished. In addition to the beer tap, there is also the conventional piston tap. The main difference between the two versions is the special nozzle system of the beer tap valve.

Since the beer tap can be operated at a higher pressure, it also eliminates the need for a calming coil, as is usually used when tapping with conventional taps.

This fact makes a beer tap an excellent choice, especially for compact beer dispenser systems, with which, with a little practice, almost any type of beer can be tapped without any problems.

Apart from that, however, the functionality is more or less the same. In both the beer tap and the piston tap, the beer is pre-cooled and is then transported to the tap via the beer line with the appropriate pressure.