Home » Commercial Draft Beer Systems — Bar Build Picker

Commercial Draft Beer Systems — Bar Build Picker

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Spec your Micro Matic draft beer system in 4 questions.

Tell us faucet count, where the kegs sit, and the tower style — we'll spec the right Micro Matic Kool-Rite tower and auto-build the complete Micro Matic bill of materials (glycol pack, trunk line, regulator, couplers, CO₂, cleaning kit), ready to add to cart.

Step 1 of 4 ~30 seconds

1. New install or replacing an existing draft system?

2. How many beer faucets do you want?

3. What's your keg storage situation?

4. What tower style fits the bar?

2. What's the project?

3. How many total faucets after this project?

4. What's your current keg storage setup?

Based on your answers:

Micro Matic 1735-S Kool-Rite 8-Faucet Insert Module

For an 8-faucet bar build with the kegs in a back-bar walk-in. The Kool-Rite 1735-S is the industry-standard insert — glycol-ready, stainless, and compatible with both short-shank and long-shank install fronts.

Micro Matic 1735-S — Kool-Rite 8-Faucet Insert Module

8 faucets · 24" wide · Stainless · Glycol-ready · 1-5/8" short shanks

 

In stock · Ships same-day
· Email me this pick + spec sheet
Authorized Micro Matic Pro-Line distributor & stocking partner
Anatomy of a Draft Beer System

Direct draw vs. long draw — which one is your bar?

The single biggest spec decision in any draft install is where the kegs live. Under the bar = direct draw, air-cooled. In a remote walk-in = long draw, glycol-cooled. Different parts, different price, different install — same six core components.

Direct draw — kegs under the bar (≤6 ft)

Air-cooled. Cheaper, simpler install. The right pick when your kegs sit in a cooler under the bar or in a back-room reach-in within 6 ft of the tower.

1

CO₂ tank + regulator

20 lb aluminum is the standard for under-bar service. Primary regulator pre-set to 12–14 PSI applied for most American craft & macro beers.

2

Sankey D coupler

One per keg. The D-system handle is the American standard — fits ~95% of US craft and macro kegs. Locks down to engage the keg's valve.

3

Keg in cabinet

Half-barrel (15.5 gal) is the most common. The under-bar cabinet should hold at minimum the same number of kegs as faucets, ideally with one swap-in spare.

4

Beer line (3/16" ID, ≤6 ft)

Short, restrictive PVC line. The 3/16" ID is the magic spec — it provides enough resistance to hold CO₂ in solution at the applied pressure.

5

Tower + air blower

A small centrifugal blower (~273 CFM) draws cold air from inside the cabinet up the back of the tower, keeping the beer at temp through the last few feet of line.

6

Faucet

Forward-sealing for craft / IPAs (less wear, easier clean), or rear-sealing for budget builds. Always paired with a drip tray + drain run.

Long draw — kegs in a remote walk-in (6 ft+)

Glycol-cooled. Required when your kegs sit in a back-bar walk-in or a basement cooler more than 6 ft from the tower. The glycol pack chills a coolant loop that runs alongside the beer lines in an insulated trunk.

1

Walk-in cooler

The keg cooler should hold all your kegs at 36–38°F, with room for at least one spare per faucet. Most bar walk-ins are 6×6 or 8×8 — fits 8–20 kegs comfortably.

2

CO₂ tank + regulator

Lives inside or right next to the walk-in. 20 lb aluminum for most builds; high-volume bars step up to 50 lb cylinders or bulk CO₂ delivery.

3

Couplers (one per keg)

Sankey D-system for ~95% of US kegs. Some imports need S, U, or G — audit your tap list before ordering.

4

Glycol power pack

Sized to faucet count + run length. 1/3 HP / 2,300 BTU for short runs; 1/2 HP / 3,600 BTU for typical bar walk-in setups; 3/4 HP dual-pump for long basement runs.

5

Insulated trunk line

Pre-bundled tube containing one beer line per faucet plus a glycol supply + return loop. Insulated foam jacket keeps beer cold across the whole run.

6

Tower + faucets

Glycol-cooled Kool-Rite insert. The glycol loop continues through the tower so beer stays at temp right up to the faucet — no foaming on the first pour.

From Operators on the Line

What bar & restaurant owners say

Ordered a Kool-Rite 1736-S and the matching MMPP4302 glycol pack at 1:45 on a Tuesday — it was on a truck the same afternoon. Their tech walked our GC through the trunk-line route before the units even shipped. That's the play.

Jordan M.
GM · 14-tap craft bar, Austin TX
★★★★★

We rebuilt three back-bar draft systems in two weeks. Their pre-install checklist saved at least a half-day per bar — they call out the trunk routing and glycol sizing in plain English, not engineer-speak.

Rachel S.
F&B Director · Regional stadium group
★★★★★

Their tech line picks up. That alone makes them worth ordering through. Spec'd a 12-tap bar build for our newest location and they had every part — tower, glycol, lines, couplers, regulator, CO₂ — on one PO.

Diego V.
Owner · 3-unit QSR group, Phoenix AZ
★★★★★
The 10 Key Elements (per Micro Matic)

Every great draft system has these 10 things. Here's how the picker handles each one.

This framework comes straight from Micro Matic's canonical 10 Key Elements of a Draft Beer System guide. The picker above maps your answers to specific MM SKUs for each element. Items in bold are auto-bundled; the rest are install-time decisions to coordinate with your GC.

1
Keg storage @ 38°F.

Walk-in cooler dedicated to kegs at 38°F is the MM standard. Warmer = ~25% more foam waste per pour. The picker's storage question above (kegerator / under-bar / walk-in) determines which path the rest of your system follows.

2
Gas blender (CO₂ + N₂).

Bundled (optional) — MM200 dual-blend if you serve both ales (70/30) and stouts (25/75). On-site blending eliminates pre-mix cylinder cost + storage. Default OFF in the bundle; check it on if you're running stouts.

3
Secondary regulator panel.

Bundled (optional) — MM 83415-E-PP 4-product panel. Tunes pressure per beer style at the keg (e.g., 12 PSI on a porter vs 14 PSI on an IPA). Check it on if you're running 4+ beer styles at different carbonation levels.

4
304 stainless steel beverage contact.

Bundled — Sankey D couplers (MM 7485BB) and Kool-Rite tower stainless beer lines + shanks + faucets. MM spec: every metal touching beer should be 304 SS to preserve flavor and resist bacteria.

5
Pro-Max / FOB foam control (one per keg).

Bundled — MM PRO-MAX-MM stainless wall-mount FOB. Closes the line when a keg blows so you never re-tap with foam. Saves ~25% per keg per MM data; pays for itself in weeks.

6
Power pack (glycol chiller).

Bundled — MM Pro-Line MMPP43xx pack sized to faucet count + run length. Maintains 29–32°F glycol from cooler to glass. Locate in a well-ventilated, easy-to-service area — never on top of the walk-in.

7
Insulated trunk line.

Bundled — MM CDI832-BF Barriermaster™ Flavourlock trunk (8 beer + 2 glycol lines, insulated). Default 50 ft; adjust to your actual run. Conduit spec: 8" diameter minimum with 32" radius bends.

8
Kool-Rite tower with SS faucets.

The picker's main pick — MM Kool-Rite insert (1734-S / 1735-S / etc.) sized to faucet count. Patented cold blocks deliver glycol cooling all the way to the shank. 304 SS beer lines, shanks, faucets throughout.

9
Glassware conditioning.

Not bundled — but worth specifying. Three-sink wash with dedicated beer detergent, air-dry on racks, cold-water rinse before pouring at 45°. Add a counter-mount glass rinser (MM-5821, $251) at the well for pour-time conditioning.

10
System cleaning every 14 days.

Bundled — MM M5-801147-CK 5L pressurized kit. Per MM spec: every 2 weeks, no exceptions. High-volume bars: upgrade to the EBC300 electric recirculating system ($957) which scales to 300 ft of line.

Commercial Draft Beer FAQ

Questions we get on the tech line every week

How do I know if I need air-cooled or glycol cooling?
Distance from keg to faucet. Under 6 ft (kegs right under the bar) → air-cooled with a tower blower works fine. 6–25 ft → small glycol pack (1/3 HP, 2,300 BTU). 25–75 ft (typical back-bar walk-in) → standard 1/2 HP glycol (3,600 BTU). 75 ft+ or multiple zones → dual-pump 3/4 HP. Undersizing the glycol = warm beer at the front faucets and an angry GM at 8pm.
What's a Kool-Rite Insert Module and why do you keep recommending it?
It's the Micro Matic insert tower designed to mount inside a custom front piece (like the wood or stainless box your fabricator builds for the back of the bar). It's glycol-ready out of the box, ships with shanks installed, and accepts both short-shank (1-5/8") and long-shank (2-5/8") install fronts. It's the workhorse pick for ~90% of bar-build draft systems for the last 20 years.
Can I add faucets to my existing tower later?
Sometimes — depends on the tower. If you've got a Kool-Rite or wall-mount with extra capacity (e.g., your front piece has more cut-outs than installed faucets), you can add faucets + shanks + lines in a few hours. If the tower is fully populated, you'll need a new tower. The picker above accounts for this — answer "Adding faucets" and we'll spec what you need.
Why does my beer keep foaming?
Three usual suspects, in order: (1) Temperature — beer in the line above 38°F will release CO₂ as foam. Check your glycol setpoint and your trunk insulation. (2) Line balance — beer line that's too short (under 5 ft on 3/16") doesn't have enough restriction to hold the CO₂ in solution. Use the line-balance calculator in our PDF bundle. (3) Pressure — over 14 PSI applied for an extended draw will over-carbonate. Keep applied pressure to spec for your draw distance.
What CO₂ pressure should I run my draft beer at?
For most American craft and macro lagers at 38°F, 12–14 PSI applied keeps CO₂ in solution. Pour test for the first hour, then adjust ±1 PSI until the head settles to your target. Stout / nitro beers run on a beer-gas blend (75% N₂ / 25% CO₂) at 25–30 PSI through a stout faucet — that's a different setup entirely.
How often do I need to clean the lines?
Every 14 days is the industry standard. Less often = bacterial film + off-flavors that no amount of fresh keg will fix. The Beer Line Cleaning Pump in the bundle is the field-tested manual option; for high-volume bars, an electric recirculating cleaner is worth the upgrade.
Do you offer pro pricing for bars and contractors?
Yes. Our HowdyPro program is built for commercial accounts — volume pricing, net-30 terms, dedicated account manager. Email us with your resale cert and projected monthly volume; usually a same-day response.
Can Howdy Brewer help spec a full bar build, not just the tower?
That's why the picker exists, and that's the whole point of our tech line at 888-964-4239. Tell us faucet count, draw distance, and venue style — we'll send a full BOM (tower, glycol/blower, beer line, trunk lines, couplers, regulator, CO₂ tank, clamps, cleaning kit) typically the same business day.
Micro Matic Bar Build Bundle

Get the Micro Matic bar-build bundle (PDF)

Every Kool-Rite tower spec sheet, the Micro Matic glycol sizing chart, our lead tech's line-balance calculator, the full pre-install checklist, and a sample BOM from a real 10-tap MM install. Plus occasional pro-only pricing drops.

No spam. Unsubscribe any time. Pro pricing drops monthly at most.

Still not sure? Talk to our tech line.

Tell us your venue type, drinks/hr, and flavor count and we'll spec the full bill-of-materials back to you — dispenser, regulator, carbonator, BIB rack, trunk line, and cleaning kit. Usually within one business day.

Call 888-964-4239 Email our tech team
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