Should I choose a beer dispenser with or without CO₂?

Traditionally CO₂ is used to pour beer. This is done by pressurizing the beer keg with CO₂ from a cylinder. The increase in pressure in the keg forces your beer through the keg coupler into the beer dispenser.

Because CO₂ is being used to pressurize the keg the beer spoils a lot slower than when using normal air pressure. This is the biggest advantage when using CO₂.

But there are also disadvantages when using CO₂. One of the disadvantages is that you need a CO2 cylinder on the tap location. Especially when using the dispenser as mobile beer dispenser or when you are a rental company this can be a hassle to deal with. The clocks of the CO₂ pressure reducer are prone to break when the cylinders topples over.

Safety is another thing to consider when using CO₂. CO₂ can be quit dangerous in high concentrations. This risk mainly exists in poorly ventilated rooms, so ventilation and/or detection equipment is important.

Another thing to consider when renting out CO₂ cylinders is it opens the possibility of people changing the settings on the pressure reducer or releasing CO₂ with the pressure release valve. This will result in problems when pouring beer that you as rental company are expected to solve.

Last but not least CO₂ cylinders are expensive to deposit and prone to theft at events.

Is there an alternative to using CO₂?

The solution to the problems above is using air to tap your beer. To do this you need a special beer dispenser with an build in air compressor.

Pouring beer with a beer dispenser with air compressor has a lot of advantages. First and foremost it eliminates the required CO₂ cylinder removing all of the disadvantages of using CO₂ stated above.

Next a beer dispenser with internal compressor is compact and easy to transport making them perfect for mobile or rental use.

There is however also a drawback to using air. Because air consists oxygen the quality of the beer in the keg drops a lot faster than when using CO₂. The drop in quality starts in about 24-hours. You can compare this process to leaving a draught beer on the table for some time.

This drawback is not always a problem though. When you have a party and finish a keg within 24-hours you will not notice a drop in quality. There are also kegs in which the fluid is in a bag. In this case the gas used to tap doesn’t come into contact with the beer removing the problem entirely.

What is best for way to pour for you? With CO₂ or with airpressure?

Here are the pros and cons of tapping with or without CO₂ in an overview:

We hope we have informed you about the possibelity of the new beerdispensers. If you still have questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact us.

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