Bar upgrades
Adding beer taps to an existing bar: what to check before you order
Adding beer taps to your pub, club or hotel? Check cooling, keg storage, line routes and service access before ordering new fonts and equipment.
Start with the reason for the extra taps
More taps can support a broader beer range or another service point, but the upgrade needs to fit the venue behind it. Decide whether you want more products, faster access to popular products or capacity in a different part of the bar. Those are different briefs. Explain the commercial goal first so your installer can assess the system around the way you intend to trade.
Check the existing system before buying a font
The visible bar equipment is only one part of the job. Your contractor needs to understand the current cooling system, product routes, gas equipment and available space. Ask whether the existing installation can support the proposed change and what work is needed if it cannot. A spare connection or an empty position at the bar does not, by itself, establish that the complete system is ready for expansion.
Make room for the products behind the bar
Adding products also changes what happens in the keg room. Consider where the additional kegs will sit, how staff will change them and how deliveries and stock rotation will work. Review the proposed product range against expected sales rather than filling every available tap by default. Your bar team should be part of the planning discussion because they will manage the day-to-day consequences of the new layout.
Agree the route and access before joinery changes
Confirm how the lines will reach the new dispensing point and where equipment can be accessed for servicing. Coordinate the font position, drip tray, connections and surrounding joinery before holes are cut or finishes are installed. For an additional bar, ask the contractor to review the full route from the keg room. Early coordination gives each trade a defined job and helps avoid reopening completed work.
Plan the changeover around trading
Ask which parts of the existing system must be unavailable during installation and commissioning. Agree a work window and what needs to happen before the bar returns to service. Include checks of the existing taps as well as the new ones. Update your cleaning and maintenance arrangements to include the added equipment, and give staff a clear explanation of what has changed.
Scope your tap expansion with Beer Works
Beer Works provides commercial beer-system design and installation across Brisbane and South East Queensland. Send your current and proposed tap counts, photos of the bar and keg room, and your preferred timing. We can discuss what needs assessing before you order. For a larger project, use our quote comparison guide to keep the scope clear.