Draft Beer Tower FAQ

Straight answers to the questions bars, breweries, and installers ask most about custom draft beer towers. Every answer is answer-first: the short version comes first, the detail follows. For deeper dives, we link to our full guides throughout.

Choosing & Specifying Your Tower

What is a draft beer tower?

A draft beer tower is the vertical column on a bar that holds the tap handles and delivers beer from the keg to the glass. It houses the beer lines and, on cooled systems, the air or glycol lines that keep beer at serving temperature right up to the faucet. At Fût Mauricie we build each tower custom to spec in Trois-Rivières, Québec. For the full overview, see our complete guide to commercial draft beer systems.

How do I choose the right draft beer tower?

Start with three things: how many taps you need, your bar depth and sightlines, and whether the run to your kegs is short-draw or long-draw. Those three inputs drive the tower style, the tap count and spacing, and whether you need glycol cooling. Everything else — finish, branding, base plate — is styling on top of that structural decision. Walk through it step by step in our draft beer tower buyer's guide.

What tower styles are available?

The common styles are T-style, bridge, pedestal, low-profile, and wall-mount. T-style and bridge towers are the workhorses for multi-tap bars; pedestal and low-profile towers suit tighter bars or clear sightlines; wall-mount towers free up the bar top entirely. Because we build custom, the style is a starting point — dimensions, tap count, and geometry are all made to your spec.

How many taps can a tower hold, and how should they be spaced?

Tap spacing is typically 3–4 inches center-to-center, which gives room to pour into large glassware without knocking neighboring handles. The number of taps a tower can hold depends on that spacing and the tower length, both of which we build to your spec. If you serve big pours or want breathing room between handles, spec toward the 4-inch end. See how to spec tap spacing right for the full breakdown.

Can I get a fully custom tower instead of an off-the-shelf one?

Yes — custom is what we do. Every Fût Mauricie tower is built to your spec in-house, from tap count and spacing to style, dimensions, base plate, and finish. Send us your requirements and we return free 3D renderings and specs in about one business day so you can see the exact tower before anything is cut. Start with our guide to going custom.

How Draft Systems Work

What is the difference between glycol-cooled and air-cooled towers?

Air-cooled towers use a fan to push chilled air up the tower and work well for short-draw systems where the keg is close to the tap. Glycol-cooled towers circulate chilled glycol alongside the beer lines and are the right choice for long-draw systems — generally runs longer than about 25 feet. If your kegs sit in a remote cooler or across the building, you want glycol. Compare the two in glycol-cooled vs. air-cooled towers.

What temperature should draft beer be served at?

The Brewers Association targets roughly 38°F (3°C) from keg to glass, though the ideal varies with beer style and altitude. Holding that temperature consistently along the entire line — including inside the tower — is what keeps beer from foaming or going flat at the faucet. This is exactly why tower cooling matters: an uncooled tower lets the last stretch of line warm up. See our complete draft systems guide for how temperature ties into the whole system.

How often do draft beer lines need cleaning?

Clean draft lines every 14 days, per Brewers Association guidance. Some U.S. states codify this in law — Ohio, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Connecticut among them — while elsewhere you follow your local health authority's requirements. Regular cleaning is the single biggest factor in keeping poured beer tasting the way the brewer intended. It also protects the faucets and lines inside your tower over the long run.

What is long-draw vs. short-draw?

Short-draw means the kegs sit close to the taps — typically directly under or behind the bar — and the system can run air-cooled. Long-draw means the kegs are in a remote walk-in cooler with a longer line run, which needs glycol cooling to hold serving temperature the whole way. The distinction drives your cooling choice and your tower spec. If you're unsure which you have, the run length from cooler to tap is the deciding factor.

Finishes & Materials

What finishes are available for a draft tower?

Matte black is our most-requested finish, followed by brushed, candy copper, gold, polished, glossy white, antique, and copper. The finish sets the whole visual tone of the bar, so it's worth choosing alongside your fixtures and lighting rather than as an afterthought. Because we finish in-house, we can match a specific look for a branded or design-led build. Browse every option in our complete guide to tower finishes.

Which finish is best for a high-traffic bar?

For heavy use, a durable powder-coat finish like matte black holds up well on towers and hides wear between cleanings. Powder coat is robust on the tower body; on drip trays it can chip over time, so we maximize adhesion during finishing to extend its life. Match the finish to how hard the bar gets used and how visible wear will be. See our advice on choosing a finish for a high-traffic bar.

Are the materials food-safe?

Yes. We build the surfaces that touch your beer from food-grade stainless steel and food-safe components, so what reaches the glass only contacts materials intended for food and beverage use. Food safety is a baseline requirement for commercial draft equipment, not an upgrade. Follow your local food-safety regulations for your specific install.

Can I put my brewery's branding on the tower?

Yes. Custom builds let you carry your logo, colors, and identity onto the tower so it works as a branded centerpiece on the bar. This is one of the most effective ways to make a house or flagship tap stand out. See branded beer towers and our design guide for using a tower as a centerpiece.

Ordering from Fût Mauricie

How long does it take to get a custom tower?

Lead time is 5–15 business days once your spec is finalized. Before that, we return free 3D renderings and specs in about one business day so you can approve the exact design first. The renderings step is fast and free precisely so nothing goes into production until it's right. Start a request on our quote page.

How much does a custom draft tower cost?

Tower pricing is quote-based (soumission), so we don't publish fixed tower prices — cost depends on tap count, style, size, cooling, and finish. Send us your spec and we'll build a quote around exactly what you need. Custom drip trays, by contrast, start at $150 and can be priced directly. Request tower pricing on the quote page.

How do I order a custom drip tray?

Use our online tray builder to spec a drip tray from 12 to 100 inches wide, starting at $150. Choose from Standard, Recessed, X-Pressed, and Platform types depending on how the tray mounts and drains. The builder gives you a configured tray without needing a full quote. Start at the tray builder, and see how to size a custom drip tray and how to choose the right tray type.

What warranty comes with a Fût Mauricie tower?

We back our welds with a lifetime warranty. Towers are built in-house with laser cutting, TIG and robotic welding, and parametric CAD, so the structural integrity is something we stand behind for the life of the tower. That in-house control is also why we can move fast on custom specs. Read how we build our towers in-house.

Do you work with installers and trade partners?

Yes — we work directly with installers, and we publish an installer-focused guide covering how our towers are specified and mounted. If you install draft systems, our trade resources make it easier to spec and order the right tower the first time. See our installer's guide and trade page.

Ready to spec your tower? Get free 3D renderings and specs in 1 business day. Request a quote.