Helpful hints to ponder when purchasing and using keg beer.

Glassware:
The number of servings you can draw from a keg depends on three factors:
1. Style of glassware
2. Size of Glass
3. Size of foam head
Some styles of glassware can yield more glasses per keg than others, even though they have the same volume capacity. Glasses that are wider at the rim than at the base will yield more because the foam head takes up more volume.

Cups:
Serving size chart, click to open in a new window.

For picnics and parties, you'll usually be serving beer in cups. Plastic is preferable over both wax or Styrofoam cups. Styrofoam should be avoided because beer is often too foamy when poured into Styrofoam cups. 

A good pouring technique never allows the cup or beer to come in contact with the tap faucet for sanitary reasons. Keep the glass or cup at an approximate 45 degree angle to the tap faucet and pull the handle fast. Opening the tap faucet only half way; referd to as "squeezing the beer", creates foam.

Serving:
To prepare your keg beer for serving, insert the keg into a container sized large enough to hold cube ice to the top of the keg. Cover the ice with water. Ice water is more effective chilling a keg than just ice alone.

Dispensing Beer with a Tapper :
Keg beer is naturally pressurized from the brewery. Draw a beer before pumping to check the flow of beer. You want to pump the tapper only enough to get a full faucet of clear non-foaming beer. Av over pumped keg leads to too much foam. An under pumped keg leads to flat beer. 

Foam is approximately 25% beer and 75% CO2. The foam head is important for a couple of reasons. It enhances its appearance, aroma and taste, and it releases CO2, so your guests avoid that "filled-up" feeling. Strive for a 3/4 inch to one inch head on all glassware and cups, and one to 1 1/2 inches of foam on pitchers.

Storage:
Remember, when serving keg beer, a constant temperature of 34 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit is required to keep the beer pouring well. Beer can easily be destroyed by the heat of sunlight when transported by pickup truck or by sweltering heat in a car trunk. Cold weather can also freeze keg beer faster than you think. Plan your day and purchase your keg beer just before using it. Kept at the right temperature and properly pressurized, and depending on how much is left at the end of an event, keg beer can easily stay fresh for a week or two.