Draft System Quiz
Draft System Finder
What Draft Beer System Do You Need?
Answer six practical questions about the keg location, actual line route, tap count, and beer program. You will get a system direction plus the measurements a draft installer or supplier needs before equipment is ordered.
Start with the physical layout
Distance and cooling determine the system type. Budget changes how a system is built—not which cooling method the beer requires.
Your system direction
Why this fits
Core equipment
Cooling plan
Gas and system balance
Measurements to confirm before ordering
Take the next useful step
The four draft system configurations
Direct draw
The keg is in a refrigerated cabinet directly below the tower or in a walk-in that shares a wall with the faucets. The run is short, so properly selected pure CO2 normally maintains carbonation and supplies enough pressure to move the beer.
Forced-air long draw
A continuously operating fan sends cooler air through an insulated duct and returns it to the cooler. A single-duct tube-in-tube route is effective up to 15 ft; a properly designed double-duct route can reach 25 ft.
Glycol long draw
A separate chiller circulates food-grade propylene glycol beside the beer lines in an insulated trunk. This is the standard direction beyond 25 ft and may also make sense on shorter routes where forced-air cooling cannot be built reliably.
Jockey box
A temporary system flash-chills beer through a cold plate or stainless coil. It is intended for events, festivals, and mobile service—not everyday storage and dispensing.
How to choose a draft beer system without guessing
A draft system has three jobs: keep beer at a stable temperature from keg to glass, maintain the carbonation set by the brewery, and create enough controlled resistance for a proper flow rate. The system type is therefore a design decision, not a preference question. A low budget cannot make a warm 60 ft beer run work without active cooling, and a large tap count does not automatically make a system glycol-cooled if the kegs sit directly behind the faucets.
Measure the actual route, not a straight line
Measure the path the beer line will travel from the keg coupler to the faucet. Include turns, ceiling runs, wall chases, tower height, and vertical lift. For a remote system, also note the temperature around the chase. A route through a hot ceiling or mechanical room creates a different cooling load than the same distance through conditioned space.
Direct draw means very close proximity
A direct-draw system is a kegerator, refrigerated cabinet, or walk-in cooler sharing a wall with the bar. The Brewers Association describes these systems as keeping kegs in very close proximity to the faucet. Most use a short 4–5 ft length of 3/16 in. vinyl beer line and pure CO2, although the final pressure and line resistance still depend on beer temperature, carbonation, elevation, and desired flow.
Air-cooled systems need a supply and return path
Forced-air long draw is not simply a fan pointed at beer lines. Cold air must travel from the cooler through the tower and return to the cooler continuously. A single-duct tube-in-tube design is effective up to 15 ft. A double-duct design, with separate outbound and return paths, can reach 25 ft. Insulation, ambient heat, blower sizing, and the extra refrigeration load on the walk-in all have to be checked.
The 25 ft rule is a ceiling, not a promise. A poor duct route can make forced air unreliable at a shorter distance. Glycol may be the better design when the route is hot, complex, inaccessible, or unable to support continuous outbound and return airflow.
Long draw does not automatically mean one gas blend
Glycol controls temperature; dispensing gas controls pressure and carbonation. The correct gas choice depends on the beer's carbonation level, keg temperature, elevation, total system resistance, and required applied pressure. Pure CO2 may be suitable when the needed pressure matches the beer's equilibrium pressure. If the system needs more push without adding excess CO2, a correctly calculated CO2/N2 blend, beer pump, or another engineered solution may be required. A fixed “70/30 for every long draw” rule is not responsible system design.
Tap count affects capacity and controls
More faucets mean more beer lines, a larger trunk, more couplers, more secondary regulation, and potentially a larger glycol chiller. It also increases the value of FOB detectors, which stop flow when a keg empties and keep long lines packed with beer. FOBs reduce foam and lost beer during keg changes, making them profit maximizers in a busy long-draw system.
Use the result as a pre-quote, not a final design
The quiz identifies the correct system family and catches the measurements that change equipment selection. Before buying a chiller, trunk line, blower, regulator panel, or gas blender, confirm the actual route, vertical rise, keg temperature, beer carbonation targets, peak service volume, and tower configuration. Then use the Bar Draft System Planner to organize the component list or call Wholesale Beer Parts at 800-821-0114 for a system review.
Draft System FAQ
What is the difference between direct draw and long draw?
Direct draw keeps the keg in a refrigerated cabinet directly below the faucet or in a walk-in sharing the faucet wall. Long draw moves beer to a remote faucet and adds active line cooling—forced air for suitable short routes or glycol for longer and more demanding routes.
How far can a forced-air beer system run?
Brewers Association guidance describes single-duct tube-in-tube systems as effective up to 15 ft and double-duct systems as capable of runs up to 25 ft. Those limits assume continuous supply-and-return airflow, good insulation, manageable ambient heat, and enough refrigeration capacity.
When do I need a glycol chiller?
Glycol is the standard direction for routes longer than 25 ft. It may also be the better choice on a shorter route when a dependable forced-air supply-and-return path cannot be built, the chase is hot, or the layout is complex.
Does every long-draw system use 70/30 blended gas?
No. Gas blend and applied pressure must be matched to beer carbonation, keg temperature, elevation, system resistance, and the pressure needed to move the beer. Some systems use pure CO2; others need a calculated CO2/N2 blend, gas blender, or beer pump.
What pressure should I use with a jockey box?
Brewers Association guidance gives 25–35 PSI for a cold-plate jockey box and 35–40 PSI for a 120 ft coil. Shorter coils, equipment design, beer temperature, and flow rate change the final setting, so follow the jockey-box manufacturer's instructions and adjust for the actual setup.
Does tap count decide whether I need glycol?
No. Tap count affects chiller capacity, trunk size, regulation, and component quantities. Cooler-to-faucet layout and the ability to maintain beer temperature determine the cooling method.
Have your route measurements?
We can help turn them into a practical equipment list without oversizing the system or leaving out the fittings that hold up an installation.