Beer Cave, Back-Bar & Draft Refrigeration Guide
Beer caves, back-bar and draft systems
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Updated October 14, 2026
Quick answer
Beer equipment fails in two places: the cold box (a beer cave, back-bar cooler or keg cooler) and, on long-draw systems, the glycol power pack that keeps the lines cold. Foamy beer is often a temperature, pressure or line-cleaning issue, not a refrigeration fault; a warm box or warm glycol is a refrigeration call.
For liquor stores, bars, breweries and restaurants: beer caves with glass merchandiser doors, back-bar and bottle coolers, direct-draw keg coolers, and long-draw glycol systems. These pages separate what bar staff can check from what needs a refrigeration technician.
Understand and troubleshoot
- Back-Bar or Bottle Cooler Not CoolingBack-bar and bottle coolers that run warm: dirty front condensers, overloading, door gaskets, the Perlick HA alarm and…
- Beer Cave Problems and How to Fix ThemFogged glass doors, warm product, doors that will not close and dead lights in a beer cave or walk-in with glass doors.…
- Draft Beer Line Cleaning for Bars and RestaurantsHow often commercial draft beer lines should be cleaned, what a cleaning includes, and a printable line-cleaning log…
- Foamy or Warm Draft Beer: What Is Causing It?Foamy pours cost bars money. Which causes are refrigeration (keg and line temperature, glycol) and which are pressure,…
- Glycol Power Pack Problems in Long-Draw Draft SystemsGlycol chiller not cooling, frozen bath, pump failure, bad probe or warm trunk lines: how long-draw draft systems fail…
- What Temperature Should a Keg Cooler Be?What temperature a commercial keg cooler, kegerator or keg room should run at, why it matters for foam and flavor, and…
Compare, cost and choose
- Bar Refrigeration and Draft Equipment Brands We ServiceThe bar refrigeration and draft brands we see most: Perlick, Micro Matic, True and Beverage-Air back-bars, Glastender,…
- Beer Cave Cost: What Drives the PriceWhat a beer cave costs to build or add to a store: size, glass doors, refrigeration, floor, electrical and permits.…
- Glycol Power Pack Replacement: Cost Drivers and OptionsWhat drives the cost of replacing a glycol power pack for a long-draw draft beer system, and when repairing the old one…
- Keg Room Design for Bars, Taprooms and RestaurantsPlanning a walk-in keg room for a bar, brewery taproom or restaurant: size, temperature, refrigeration, glycol, drains,…
- Repair or Replace Your Bar Refrigeration?How bars, breweries and restaurants should decide whether to repair or replace back-bar coolers, keg coolers, glycol…
- Beer cave planning
- Walk-in coolers with glass doors
Get it fixed
- Back-Bar Cooler RepairBack-bar, bottle and underbar cooler repair for bars, restaurants and hotels in the South Bay, Peninsula, East Bay and…
- Commercial Beverage Cooler RepairBeverage cooler, bottle cooler and glass-door merchandiser repair for stores, bars and restaurants in the South Bay,…
- Commercial Kegerator and Keg Cooler RepairCommercial kegerator and direct-draw keg cooler repair for bars, restaurants and breweries in the Bay Area. Warm kegs,…
- Beer cave installation and repair
- Bar refrigeration repair
- Glass-door merchandiser repair
When to call a technician
If a cooler, freezer or ice machine still is not right after the safe checks, a C-38 refrigeration technician can find the cause.
Open 7 days, 8 AM to 5 PM, with emergency service until 9 PM. CA Lic. #776244.
Frequently asked questions
Is foamy draft beer a refrigeration problem?
Sometimes. Warm kegs or warm lines cause foam, but so do wrong gas pressure and dirty lines. Check keg temperature first; if the cooler or glycol is warm, call a refrigeration tech.
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