Cicerone Presents: Side-Pull Faucets with Evan Rail

Join Master Cicerone® Neil Witte in a conversation with author and journalist Evan Rail as they discuss Czech side-pull faucets and the traditions surrounding their use. You’ll learn about the anatomy of these faucets and how they are operated to create various pours, like Hladinka, Mlíko, and Šnyt!
Czechs have been serving beer from side-pull faucets for years, but more recently these faucets have been gaining popularity in the US, popping up everywhere from craft beer bars to brewery taprooms. This edition of Cicerone Presents will help provide a solid foundation for those interested in learning more about how side-pull faucets can completely transform the way a beer is poured.
Neil Witte is a Master Cicerone® and Lead Trainer for the Cicerone Certification Program. He's a self-described "huge draught beer nerd" who co-authored the Draught Beer Quality Manual.
Evan Rail is a Prague-based journalist who has been writing about Czech beer for over 20 years, and is the author of The Brewery in the Bohemian Forest. Learn more about Evan at www.evanrail.com.
Learn more about these faucets at www.lukr.cz.

[@TheHavrosh]

Thank you guys for such a great presentation of our taps. It was fun watching you. Cheers from Pilsen, the home of LUKR faucets.

[@Dcalzaretta]

Had a great time watching this live. Thanks again!

[@FranciscoRamos13]

This edition was so cool. I learned so much and now am so tempted to get myself a Lukr faucet. Great job all.

[@HerrStrelok]

Thank you for the very informative video guys! As a Czech myslef it was fun to see you pronounce some quite difficult czech words throughout the presentation :D Cheers from Prague

[@Dcalzaretta]

Obec Brewing in Seattle also makes some great Czech-inspired beers!

[@adamarndt7617]

I know this video is ANCIENT now, but does anyone know what the flow requirements are for a Lukr tap? I just got one and I'm using 4mm DuoTight beer lines between my keg and my Lukr and I'm finding that although I'm getting a ton of foam, the bubbles are pretty huge and not like the small Cappuccino-type foam I get when I buy a lager on a Lukr at a brewery or pub. I'm wondering if these things need a decent flow rate to pour correctly after watching this video and hearing that in the Czech Republic beers are filled very quickly off of them....

[@joshuadgonz9479]

Also should link those movies in the description or comments

[@thomasmcgrane3489]

So, slightly lower carbonation, slightly higher serving temperature, and a screen that creates foam. Sounds a bit like real ale served with a beer engine and a nozzler doesn't it?

[@JH-ms3ny]

Cask ale, yes. "Real ale" is a bogus term used by high falutin Brits.

[@adamarndt7617]

Czech beers are served in the Czech Republic on an 80/20 CO2/Nitro blend?!?!? Mind blown!

[@sumisu1968]

The discussion at 1:00:00-1:00:40 on carbonation and the word that Evan used (that he didn’t have a card for) sounds a bit like the concept of ‘herb” in German maybe? My German friends try to describe this as meaning more than bitter/dry/hops/herb.

[@joshuadgonz9479]

Would it rust if it soaks in sanitizer overnight?

[@piazzonim]

I guess Czech movies on Netflix will be trending in the US soon

[@MartianTheMartin]

Can anyone answer why it’s ok to dunk the faucet into the beer compared to not dunking on a regular faucet?

[@mandilowe5105]

Because these faucets(LUKR) come apart and can be sanitized. A regular tap isn't able to be sanitized so it's possible that it would grow bacteria etc.

[@duncanbayne3078]

So its a stout tap with a ball valve!

[@devinhitch]

You can pour Svetle, Polotmavy, or Tmavy :)

[@duncanbayne3078]

@@devinhitch But it's still a stout tap with a ball valve control to get your different heads on the beer.

[@neilwitte102]

@@duncanbayne3078 Not quite. The foam breakout is much more dramatic with a stout faucet. It'll knock out most of the CO2 and will be quite different than what you get from the LUKR faucet.