Last Sat. was my clubs Octoberfest and so I took a 1/2 keg of a really nice Märzen. I have a rig which consists of a big red insulated tub which will hold a full size (1/2 bbl) or half keg and enough ice to keep it cool all afternoon. The lid has a tower and drip pan. Because of the short distance between the keg and the faucet I use a choker which is inserted in the line between the coupler and the tower using what in electrical engineering we would call a barrel and in plumbing a close nipple i.e. a piece with beer nut thread on each end. Within about 20 minutes of setting up someone said the beer was not drawing and when I went over the keg was floating. One of the beer nuts to the choker was loose and all the beer was now in the bottom of the tub with the ice and empty keg floating on it.
A fast thinking member grabbed the top of a polyethylene tub, yelled "Quick! Get that ice out of there before it dilutes the beer!" and started scooping. We then started dipping cups into the tub and the beer was actually still very good (and plenty cold). I guess people kept drinking it throughout the afternoon but that wasn't the way I had planned to serve it. So the message is CHECK ALL CONNECTIONS AFTER THE FITTINGS ARE ON THE KEG AND THE PRESSURE IS ON. I'm sure I will from now on.
