PREPERATION
Keep your keg cold; ice your keg. To insure a quality head on your beer, chill your keg before tapping.
To chill your entire keg:
– Surround your keg with ice
– Let your keg sit in its ice bath for about 3.5 hours if it hasn’t previously been refridgerated
– Periodically replace the ice as it melts.
Make sure you let your keg settle after movement for about an hour to avoid foam.
TAPPING
Remove the cap from the fixture on the top of the keg. You will see two notches on the keg top with a round valve and ball bearing in the middle.
Make sure your hand pump is in the off position before tapping (lever should be up). Seat the pump on top of the keg in line with the notches. To engage the tap: Pull the arrow on the hand pump outand pull down to secure it in a locked position. Screw your pump clockwise to fasten it in. If you see bubles or foam escaping around the tap, it is not seated correctly.
POURING
Do not pump for the first few pints. You only have to push down on the nozzle because there should be enough pressure in your keg to pour your first beers. Pour out your first pour of beer foram so the flavour is not disrupted by non-harmful sanitizer residue in your pump.
You will need to pump your keg a few times periodically if the flow of the beer slows doen. Don’t over pump otherwise you will make your beer flat. Set any foam aside and let the next few beers pour and settle out. Enjoy!
Note: To minamize the head you must tilt your cup at a 45° angle as you first fill. This allows the beer to roll around the cup as it pours. As your glass fills, return it to a vertical position.
ENJOY
Hand pumps are different from CO2 systems. Your keg will lose carbonation after 23hrs. Hand pumps use air to pressurize a keg, which oxygenates the beer faster. The cooler your keg, the longer it will stay carbonated. Enjoy your keg within a few days.