I'm opening a craft beer shop with a small taproom towards the back of the store. The debate right now is whether a walk-in cooler is overkill or a direct draw system would be adequate. We have 8 taps, so this isn't a huge bar. A walk-in cooler would make it easier to change and store kegs, but it comes at a cost (up front and power). The kegerators are cheaper but will be in the way if it's crowded and we need to change a keg. Plus where would we store other kegs to keep cool? What do you guys think?
The store I work at Part time has a 6 tap growler filling station. The kegs are stored in a fridge under the bar so the lines are literally like 24 inches long. It works great and changing kegs isn't hard at all. If you have any questions at all about setup or anything store wise in general feel free to BM me.
I dont want you sway you away from here but might find some better answers somewhere like- http://www.probrewer.com/
Just a rough estimate to give you an idea (Calgary prixes) a small walk in will cost you 20k upfront. Obviously allows for a bit more storage. A large/long fridge under the bar for kegs will cost you 5k approx.. including tap setup
Like schnarr84 said, this is a walk-in cooler for kegs, not bottles to sell. Even so, I have been to plenty of bottle shops that don't have walk-in coolers for bottle sales.
Thanks for all your help. I know it's going to come at a significant cost, but I'm debating if the extra storage and cleanliness (more room by the bar) is worth it. Have you ever had problems with your kegerator when it gets crowded?
Gotta have a place to store your extra kegs. Heck, I have a kegerator that holds two sixtels. I basically removed half the shelving in my garage fridge to store my next keg in. If you didn't have a decent storage area, you're gonna have some PO'd customers if you have a fairly busy night and don't have any backups when you blow a couple.
We have 8 drafts and do direct draw. We primarily use sixtels for space reasons, but I can fit 2 halves and 6 sixtels in there. We store all kegs in the walk in. We have no problems changing kegs. Our store setup sounds just like yours.
If you have plans to grow- a cold room/ walk-in cooler is absolutely the way to go. Upfront cost will be higher than keg cooler/ direct draw system, but provides room for growth, opportunity to add additional draught lines in an easier manner, and more versatility with storage. If you have the space for a walk in- it's the way to go.
I don't have enough beer business or bar credentials for specific recommendations, but I know any brewer will tell you that they would prefer their beer to always be stored cold to keep it as fresh as possible. So, whatever you do I would have a way to keep your on-deck kegs cold.
