Flash Cooler Setup
Overview
CHILLER/FLASH COOLER
We recommend using a CWP300 Green Line cooler with 4 x 20m Coils, 2 x 14,5m Coils & 2 x 11m Coils or the equivalent. This cooler is energy efficient, gets to operating temperature in 45 minutes, and with 8 Coils (other options available) gives several different setup possibilities. Contact Swift Pour for more details and pricing.
KEG TEMPERATURES & HANDLING
As mentioned in all Swift Pours correspondence, if you start with cool (8C to 12C) or cold (3C to 5C) kegs, this is ALWAYS PREFERABLE for the simple reason that cold beer is stable (“sleepy”) and has far less tendency to FOAM, which is all pouring devices biggest problem.
Handle kegs as gently as possible, do not roll them to the table, or drop them off the back of a delivery vehicle (especially if warm) rather put them onto a trolly that allows them to remain upright and place then gently next to the table or flash cooler. The warmer the keg the longer it will need to remain unmoved before pouring in order for the beer to settle in the keg again.
If a warm keg (20C to 30C) is placed in a chiller/cold room that is running at 3C to 5C it will take +/- 24 hours for the internal core of the keg to reach the chiller/cold rooms temperature. At the same time once a cold keg (3C to 5C) is removed from the chiller/cold room and placed next to the table (not in direct sun) it will take several hours to go back to 20C dependent on ambient temperature. This means that when using Swift Pours system these kegs will have been poured long before their internal temperature becomes a problem that could cause foaming.
CHILLER/FLASH COOLER SETTINGS AND FLUSHING
If it is not possible to provide cold kegs and the beer entering the cooler is at ambient temperature e.g. 18C to 30C (Summer) then it is essential to put the beer through a minimum of 20 plus metres of Coil (+/-18C) and 34m to 40m (25C to 30C) in order for the beer to remain for sufficient time to not only cool to 3C to 5C but to become stable. Do not be “fooled” into thinking that if the beer after going through 15m of Coil measures 5C but still foams is now stable. The longer warm beer sits in cold coils the more stable it becomes and the less likely it is to foam. If you are starting with cold kegs 3C to 5C, then you will need to pass the beer through less Coil 10 to 15m and 15m to 20m if keg is 5C to 12C etc.
The flash cooler supplier should supply an operating manual with their equipment but a general rule of thumb for the Lindr CWP 200/300 is to turn on the cooler at least 45 to 90 minutes before you start to pour depending on ambient temperature at the event and/or if you are starting with cold or warm kegs. Set the gauge at the maximum (7) and then reduce it to between 4&5 once the water reaches 1C to 3C. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A TEMPERATURE GAUGE AVAILABLE TO READ THE WATER TEMPERATURE AND BEER TEMPERATURE IN THE CUP. Remember the faster you pour the greater the amount of beer that is passing through the coils so the “harder” the flash cooler needs to work to keep the beer in the coils cold. This will mean the higher the gauge will need to be 6/7 in order for it to keep the water at 1C to 3C The cooler has a thermostat that automatically switches on and off as the temperature increases but it can also freeze the beer in the coils if set too cold and pouring is slow. NB IF THE COILS HAVE WATER IN THEM WHEN YOU SWITCH ON THE COOLER YOU WILL NEED TO REPLACE THE WATER WITH BEER FIRST OR THE WATER WILL FREEZE IN THE COILS AND IT CAN TAKE SEVERAL MINUTES OR AN HOUR TO UNFREEZE THE WATER DEPENDING ON HOW LONG THE WATER IN THE COOLER TAKES TO WARM UP SO THE COIL CAN UNFREEZ.
Flushing intervals are dependent on the amount of time beer spends in the coils/system e.g. if one is only pouring a 50 litre keg though the system every 3 to 4 days (beer is in coil for long periods) then flushing is recommended between keg changes. If a keg is passing through the system every 15 minutes to two hours (event/stadium environment) then flushing is only required after the event has happened. It is not necessary or recommended for the chiller/flash cooler to be on when flushing because water can/will freeze in the coil and it may take several minutes to an hour for them to unfreeze depending on the ambient temperature.
GAS PRESSURE
There are several variables when it comes to setting gas pressures when using the Swift Pour System but here are a few guidelines: If pouring through 35m to 40m of Coil you will need to pour at +/- 2,5 to 3 Bar if you are pouring from cold kegs 3C to 5C and using shorter Coil lengths 15m to 20m then you can reduce the pressure to 1,8 to 2,2Bar.
If you are pouring from an ambient temperature keg and the keg stands for 2 to 4 days before being emptied, then you need to reduce the pressure to (1,5bar) or the gas will permeate the beer and spoil the taste. The reduced pressure will slow the rate of pour through the Swift Pour System, but this is better than affecting the taste of the beer.
The faster a keg is poured (event/stadium) 15 minutes to 120min the higher the gas pressure can be because the keg empties before the gas can permeate into the beer.
If you are starting with a warm keg and are getting excess foam and you increase the gas pressure this will help “settle” the beer in the keg and therefore help reduce foaming.