How to calculate the size of a cold room

One of the biggest advantages of having a cold room for beer kegs is its customizable storage capacity. You can choose any size that fits the specific space of your venue when using prefabricated cold rooms. But you can also build your own cold room, making better use of the interior space of your bar. For a bar operating with self-pour beer, cold rooms are the best option among all refrigeration systems, as we have already discussed in this other blog article.

To start yours, the first step is to measure what size of cold room is ideal for your venue, and that will depend on a few factors such as keg size, bar traffic, inventory and the number of taps you will operate. In this article you will find a list of these points and what should be analyzed to help you through the process.

Draft beer kegs

There are many keg models on the market, but the most widely used by breweries are stainless steel kegs 40.8 cm in diameter, which, whether 30 L or 50 L, vary only in height. Besides this model, many breweries have opted for 20 L slim kegs or plastic Keg containers. Since you will need to store several of them in the same cold room, here are some tips to optimize your space.

Kegs of the most common model, 40.8 cm in diameter, can be placed against each other and stacked, but limit it to two rows and two stacks so as not to hinder the operation of the bar. It is important that access to the kegs is easy and does not take much time or effort, resulting in quick keg changes while your venue is operating. 

One option for smaller spaces is to build a shelf and place the kegs on 2 levels. Keep the larger kegs on the floor and the smaller (and lighter) ones on the upper shelves. A 50 L keg weighs more than 50 kg, and besides the effort, lifting it off the floor is an extra risk for your team. To create 2 or more levels, you have to watch the height of the kegs (there are models taller than the traditional ones, so talk to your suppliers) and always remember to consider the height of the keg plus the coupler attached on top. 

Inventory needs (supplier deliveries and beer going out)

Another important factor is how your suppliers deliver the beer. The keg needs to stay 24 hours inside the cold room before being served (to reach the ideal temperature and to let the keg “rest” from transport), and you cannot risk running out. If you buy beer from other locations with harder deliveries, you will probably need a somewhat larger space for the stock of new kegs. 

If you have high beer sales, you will also need a good number of kegs on hand and at the ideal serving temperature.

Number of taps

How many taps will you work with? The number of taps, together with the keg turnover in stock, is one of the main factors in sizing the cold room. 

It is worth thinking about whether you may expand the number of taps in the future. You can, for example, start with 10 taps and already reserve space for 2 or 4 more. For that, it also pays to use a new corner of the room. In this example we start with 8 and, at another time, add 4 more on another wall.

Physical space for the cold room

Once the number of taps is defined, you need to think about the physical space available to build the room. A large cold room needs more space, needs a larger and more powerful compressor and will cost more, besides taking up space that could be used for something else, such as tables. 

If your space near the tables is limited, you can use a smaller cold room or even a refrigerated counter with the kegs in operation and keep the stock somewhere else.

Traffic

Imagine an event at your bar, at maximum capacity and with a line to pour. The space between the taps can help shorten that line. The farther apart the taps are, the better for heavy foot traffic. 

A distance of 50 cm between taps is enough for people to pour and walk away with full glasses without bumping into each other. A distance of 30 cm is a reasonable recommendation for those who want to make good use of space and fit a good number of self-pour taps. 

It is also important to remember that there must be a distance between the last tap and the wall, usually half the distance between taps. myTapp has self-pour hardware models that work with spacing from 10 cm between taps.

Cold room compressor

There are two types of cold room: cooling rooms and freezer rooms. A cooling cold room works at temperatures from 0°C to 18°C, and these are not recommended for draft beer. The recommended model is the freezer cold room. It works at temperatures from 0°C to -25°C and has a defrost system designed to hold an ideal temperature while working with more headroom. Cooling rooms work at their limit to keep the temperature low, and some can have problems on hotter days when the door is opened many times. 

Now you have in hand all the key points to consider when building your bar's cold room, but if you still have questions, we are available to help you with this project! Request a contact and let's talk!

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