Italian or Belgian draft beer tap: which one to choose?

For anyone about to open a business that will serve keg draft beer, one question comes up: which is the best draft beer tap? Is the Italian or the Belgian draft beer tap better for my business and my customers?

Before choosing the ideal model for your venue, you need to understand how your business will run, your priorities and your sales model. And of course, learn a bit more about each draft beer dispenser tap.

What is the best type of tap?

Draft beer tap styles may look similar at first glance, but their differences can become a headache if they are not used to your advantage.

Think about this already in the planning stage of the big moment that is opening a bar, or any other business that serves draft beer. Here are the items you can't overlook; check out what they are:

Flow adjustment

One of the points that is most part of everyday life for anyone working with draft beer, and one of the main ones to consider when choosing the tap style, is flow.

In the comparison we will make here, we can see some differences that are worth keeping in mind when making your choice.

The Italian draft beer tap has an external flow regulator, which lets you control the flow at any time. This simplifies daily operations and allows adjustments to be made faster, more practically and more efficiently.

Belgian taps, on the other hand, have an internal controller and can be adjusted with an Allen key, depending on the beer style you want to serve. Although this feature is useful to prevent other people from changing the flow in everyday use, it is a bit slower and more complex if you serve different types of draft beer on the same tap on different days of the week.

As we can see, this is a point that depends 100% on how you want to run your bar. The flow of each tap depends on its recipe, and if you are always changing the style, it may be worth considering an Italian draft beer tap for its practicality.

However, if your brewery already has fixed labels and you want to change the flow very little, the Belgian may be a good tap style for you.

Italian tap

[e-book] Self-pour vs. the traditional model

Usability

With a spring or without? That is, in simple terms, the difference in the levers of the two types.

While the Belgian-style tap requires more technical knowledge about pouring draft beer, the Italian tap is ideal for handling by all kinds of users.

The Italian tap works with no mystery: pulling the lever forward pours the draft beer, and tilting it slightly back creams the head. In addition, the tap returns to its neutral state automatically. That is, when you finish pouring, you just let go of the tap and it returns to the initial position, shutting off the flow.

The Belgian tap, on the other hand, works with a 90º range of motion and its function changes depending on how far it is opened. To pour the draft beer, lower the lever completely, and to cream the head, the lever must be in an intermediate position, that is, at 45º.

Comparing the two styles, usability belongs entirely to the Italian draft beer tap. Simpler and more practical to use for all audiences and without the need for extensive staff training, for example.

Belgian tap

Price

This is a super important factor and one that really differentiates these two types of draft beer tap for many businesses, especially tap houses, bars and breweries that will serve many types of beer.

The Italian draft beer tap is easier to find in Brazil and the approximate investment in each is around R$ 200,00. The Belgian tap, meanwhile, is found – on average – for R$ 300,00, reaching up to R$ 400,00 in some regions.

With a difference that can be 100%, the Italian tap stands out on this point, bringing more savings to anyone starting a bar or making changes to one.

The Italian draft beer tap comes out ahead

Of course this is not an absolute truth and the choice will depend on the venue's priorities. For someone with a team of servers and who only occasionally changes the styles on each tap, for example, the Belgian can be a good bet.

However, for businesses that constantly rotate styles or want to offer self-pour draft beer, myTapp recommends the Italian taps. They prevent draft beer waste and headaches, since customers can feel shortchanged by lost beer and irritated by not being able to pour properly.

So, the golden tip here is: know your sales model well and, of course, if you are considering self-pour draft beer, don't forget to request our contact. I'm sure the conversation will be great!

So, shall we chat so you can learn more about myTapp and self-pour draft beer?

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