The keg: not only found in the catering trade

The term keg means something like "small barrel" in German. Originally, it was a reusable keg that enjoyed increasing popularity in Great Britain in the 1960s. The small keg was designed specifically for industrial filling and for aseptic storage of beer and other beverages. In the meantime, however, the keg can no longer be found only in Great Britain, but also in restaurants in this country. Even in the private sector you can Dispensing systems be found with the appropriate device. The cylindrical ke g made of stainless steel is usually encased in rubber. Due to this sealing, the container is optimally protected from damage. In addition, the sheathing serves as additional insulation, for a longer cooling of beer and other beverages.

The keg head: It makes the dispensing process possible

Each keg has a valve in the center of the top - the so-called keg head. A tapping head can be attached here, which seals the keg tightly and thus ensures that transport and, of course, keg tapping are almost germ-free. The beer can be drained off to the dispensing system via the dispensing head. Of course, this also requires appropriate hoses. A special propellant gas is therefore fed through the tapping head. This is either carbon dioxide (CO2) or a mixed gas combination of carbon dioxide and nitrogen (N2/CO2). This pushes the beer from the keg directly into the glass.

The perfect tap head for your keg

German breweries mainly use four different connection systems :
● Flat keg tapping head
● Combination keg tapping head
● Basket keg tapping head
● Draft keg tapping head

At first glance, the flat tap head and the combination tap head hardly seem to differ from each other. Both are pushed sideways onto the intended valve. Their difference, however, lies in the center tappet. This opens the valve by being pressed into the keg. In the case of the flat keg tapping head, it is a bell-shaped center tappet - you can see this very well on our "Flat keg tap head straight Micro Matic" or our "Winkel Flach Keg Zapfkopf für Thekenanstich Micro Matic". The Combi keg coupler on the other hand only has a small tapping tube surrounded by a ring of holes - the "Kombi Keg Tapping Head Straight Micro Matic" is a very good example of this. The other two keg coupler variants, the basket keg coupler and the draft keg coupler, also look almost identical. However, these are screwed onto the keg. The most serious difference between the two tap heads, however, is that the center tappet on the basket tap head is longer than either on the draft tap head. An additional distinguishing feature is the side v-cuts. If you compare the "Basket Keg Tap Head Straight from Micro Matic" and the "Draft Köpi Keg Tap Head for König Pils Pilsener", you will notice this difference.

Hygiene: how to clean the keg and the tap head

The keg itself is usually already cleaned by the beverage manufacturer. The keg is first cleaned on the outside. The keg is then rinsed several times and treated with hot steam. This kills any pathogens that may be present. The manufacturer also checks for leaks. However, it is not only the keg that has to be cleaned, but also the associated dispensing head. After all, the bottled beer should enter the glass germ-free. That's why we offer a special cleaning brush for the flat and combination keg couplers. For the basket tap head, however, a different cleaning brush is required, which you will also find in our range.

A keg coupler from Micro Matic

As you may have already noticed from our assortment of keg dispensing heads, we think very highly of the flat, combi, basket and draft keg dispensing heads from Micro Matic. Of course, there is a reason for this. Micro Matic is known above all for accompanying the beer from the keg to the glass, so to speak. Not personally, of course - but through its versatile products and comprehensive service. A big advantage is that all these products are always quickly available from us and are also delivered at short notice - so our stock of tap heads almost never runs out. The quality of Micro Matics products has also left nothing to be desired so far - after all, we pay attention to the highest quality standards in our assortment.