Draft Beer System Installation for Bars and Restaurants in Chicagoland
A new draft system has to do more than connect kegs to faucets. Line length, line diameter, temperature and gas pressure all have to match, or the system pours foam or flat beer from the first day. Draft beer system installation is where that balance gets built in.
We handle draft system installation for bars, restaurants, taprooms, hotels and event venues in Chicago and the suburbs: new systems, expansions that add taps, and rebuilds of older systems that no longer pour or hold temperature the way they should.
What we install
- Direct-draw systems: keg coolers and walk-in setups with shanks through the wall and short lines to the faucets.
- Long-draw systems: trunk lines from the cooler to one or more bars, air-cooled or glycol-cooled.
- Towers, faucets, shanks, drip trays and couplers, including stout faucets for nitro beers.
- Glycol chillers and the trunk line connections that go with them.
- Regulators, gas lines, gas blenders, and cylinder or bulk CO2 connections.
How an installation comes together
The work starts with the layout: where the kegs will sit, how the lines will reach each bar, and where the gas supply and any glycol chiller will go. Then the cooler-side hardware goes in, lines are run and insulated, towers are mounted and gas is connected.
Before any beer goes in, the system is checked for gas leaks and the new lines are cleaned. Each line is then balanced, matching gas pressure to the beer, the line and the temperature, and every tap is test-poured. For a smaller job, such as a beer tap installation on an existing tower or a few new lines in a walk-in, the same steps apply on a smaller scale.
Expanding or rebuilding a system
Adding taps is often possible without starting over, if the trunk line has spare lines and the glycol chiller has capacity left. When it does not, or when an older system has trunk lines that no longer hold temperature or lines that cannot be cleaned properly, a rebuild replaces the worn parts while keeping what still works.
What affects the scope of an installation
Scope depends on the number of taps, the distance from cooler to bar, how many bars the system feeds, whether it needs glycol, and how much access the building gives to run lines. For new construction, it helps to plan the system before the walls close. Pricing is custom, based on the number of taps and the type of system.
Related services
Where we work
We work on commercial draft systems in the City of Chicago and suburban Cook, Lake, DuPage and McHenry counties.
Common questions
Can you add taps to our existing system?
Often, yes. It depends on whether your trunk line has unused lines, whether the glycol chiller can handle more, and how much room is left in the cooler and on the tower. If the existing system cannot take more taps, we can lay out what an expansion would involve.
Do you install direct-draw coolers as well as long-draw systems?
Yes. We install commercial direct-draw setups, including keg coolers under the bar and walk-in coolers with shanks through the wall, as well as long-draw systems with glycol-cooled trunk lines.
Do new lines need cleaning before the first pour?
Yes. New lines and parts are cleaned and rinsed before beer goes through them. Once the system is pouring, it goes on a regular cleaning schedule like any other draft system. Beer line cleaning.
Get in touch
Tell us about your bar, restaurant or venue and what your draft system needs.