Author: Marshall Schott

I’m pretty cheap when it comes to (everything) homebrewing equipment, preferring to balance price with quality rather than spending a paycheck on a sparkly big name item. Anyone who has seen my gear list has likely noticed my demonstrable disliking for things that plug-in, are too hard to clean, or add any hassle to my brew day. In my experience and opinion, good beer is the result of good practices, not expensive gear.

Then there are those things where price is commensurate with quality, where cheaper options provide shittier results, and where spending a little extra can make all the difference in the world. For people who package their beer in kegs, no other item represents this idea more than the faucet.

My first kegerator, which I regrettably and naively purchased pre-built, came with a dual-tap tower with standard chrome plated faucets. I clearly hadn’t done my research. After the excitement of being able to pour myself beer from a tap wore off, I was hit with the reality that these faucets fucking sucked. While I typically refrain from expressing such negative opinions, my experience with standard faucets was nothing short of aggravating. I recall once coming home after 2 short days away, stoked to pull a pint of something I’d brewed, only to find myself struggling like the dickens to get the damn thing to budge! I pulled so hard, I had to brace the entire kegerator, and even then, nada. In researching this issue, I discovered it was very common and caused by residual beer in the faucet drying up, leaving the internal moving components cemented in place. I eventually resorted to drizzling hot water over the faucets to loosen the beer-glue then pouring myself a pint, which I drank while looking for better options, as after only a couple months I’d had enough and began planning my first build.

Looking over a bunch of kegerator/keezer builds, I noticed many people were reporting satisfaction with Perlick faucets, noted for eliminating the stuck tap problem due to being “forward sealing.” At the time of my build, Perlick was still making the 525 series, so I purchased 3 of the stainless steel versions and installed them in an old refrigerator. Sure enough, they never stuck, not even after a week of no use, which was immensely satisfying. I went on to sell that kegerator and build the keezer I currently use, installing 5 more Perlick 525SS faucets initially then adding two more 525PC versions later on. All was good, until it happened…

Drips… leaks from the bonnet… sticky messes… lost beer…

All 5 of my original stainless faucets began to leak right around the same time. I did some research and discovered this was fairly typical for Perlicks, simply requiring the replacement of a couple o-rings to remedy. I bought, I replaced, and all was good. Until it wasn’t. More leaks, more mucking around, more hoping. Add to that the fact I couldn’t find a replacement for the defunct Bowie Bottler I’d recently misplaced and perhaps the frustration I experienced is more palpable. Ugh.

I’m certainly not here to talk shit on Perlick faucets, they did me good for awhile and, with a little love, I trust they would have lasted a lifetime. I’ve heard rumors the discontinuation of the 525SS/PC fuacets and release of 630SS/PC was in part to address the leaking issues. Still, my issue was personal– I’m lazy, I don’t like repairing things, and I really wanted a convenient solution for bottling from the keg. It’s actually this last part that ended up leading me to the faucets I’m here to discuss today.

While poking around for Bowie Bottler replacement parts, I landed on the Center Line Machining website, manufacturers of some neat aftermarket faucet parts, among many other things. One of these parts was a threaded bottling attachment for a faucet made by Vent-Matic, a company I’d heard of before but never really researched. So, I researched and learned quite a bit more than I bargained for.

My first stop on the path toward better beer pouring was the online homebrew retailer recommended by the aforementioned website, which said they weren’t able to sell Vent-Matic faucets due to “continuing legal matters between the original patent holder and the 2013 mfg. license holder.” Huh. Surely, I thought, Vent-Matic must have a website of their own. Yep! I was a bit surprised to discover they were selling faucets directly from their site. Curious, I shot off an email using the contact form and received a response just a couple hours later from Brad, the owner, who asked if we might setup a time to chat on the phone. Why not? Later that week, I received a call from Brad, and what I expected to last no longer than 10 minutes turned into a 1 hour discussion of the history of Vent-Matic, no dirty details spared. It’s not my place to relay everything Brad shared with me, though trust his plight to reacquire the company he started was hard fought and thankfully resulted in a positive outcome– Vent-Matic faucets are back!

At the end of our conversation, Brad offered to send me a few faucets in exchange for an honest review, despite never having heard of Brülosophy. I informed him of my standard product review practices, particularly that if I was displeased with his product I would provide him my feedback privately and give him the opportunity to opt out of a published review (this may seem odd to some, but it’s not terribly uncommon and is based on the idea that a lack of an endorsement means something; I’ve never had to do this because I only agree to review items I trust are great). Brad’s response was badass:

“I guarantee these will be the best faucets you’ve ever used, don’t worry about what I think, just do the review.”

Well, okay then. His confidence was reassuring. A few days later, the faucets arrived well packaged, Brad sent me the “full brushed” version per my request (there are 2 other cosmetic options). For the most part, they looked and felt like any other higher quality faucet I’d seen, with 2 main exceptions: removable nozzles and, interestingly, the handle lever inside the faucet (or “flow gate,” which stops the flow of beer when the faucet is closed) was not a sphere but more of a cube with rounded edges. Impatient to see how these bad boys would compare to my repaired Perlicks, I spent about 30 minutes disconnecting and cleaning lines, removing my old faucets, and installing the Vent-Matics. I really liked how the matte finish looked on my keezer.

Before connecting any beer lines, I pulled each handle to ensure everything was working right on the mechanical side of things. It seemed to and, let me tell you, these faucets just felt different, I likened it to pulling a lever in a military tank. Strong, burly, tough, solid. There was absolutely no give when the faucet was closed, something I’d experienced with my Perlicks, and everything lined up beautifully. With only minimal trepidation, I connected beer lines to kegs and pulled my first pour.

Whoa.

I figured things might be a little different, I’ve used numerous faucets over the years and each is slightly unique, but my word, these faucets were different– the feel of the handle movement, the way the beer poured out of the nozzle, how beer left the faucet once shut, and… no dripping!

Immediately pleased with just the performance of the faucet, I sort of ignored the beer I’d just poured and reveled in the fact this fantastic alternative existed while I proceeded to clean the faucets I’d just removed. No less than 5 minutes later, thirsty from all the scrubbing, I remembered there was a beer ready to drink sitting on my keezer. I know this sounds really nerdy, it is, but I was surprised almost to the point of bemusement at how the beer looked 5 minutes post-pour, namely how incredibly fluffy the head appeared.

This particular beer had been on tap for a couple weeks, I’d actually drank a pint poured from an old faucet just minutes before installing the Vent-Matics, it did not look like this. The novelty of my observation was matched by my first sip, not that the beer tasted any different, but rather the feel of the foam on my lips was something I can honestly say I’ve never experienced. What once was a fairly standard Kölsch that poured with a slight cap of quickly dissipating foam had become a fairly standard Kölsch that poured with a luscious, creamy, and super smooth head that hung around permanently and clung to the side of the glass.

If beer is about experience, which I wholeheartedly believe it is, then good head matters, and I’m here to say that Vent-Matic has given me the best head I’ve ever experienced. I’m skeptical by nature and will admit to thinking Brad was being perhaps a touch overzealous in his description of these faucets. I mean, how the hell can a faucet make all that big of a difference? The internals, how they work, even the way they look are pretty damn similar. He wasn’t kidding.

Wait, there’s more! I alluded to it earlier, one of my favorite features of Vent-Matic faucets– the removable nozzle.

Being able to remove the nozzle makes cleaning a cinch, just take it off and toss it in your cleaning solution of choice. And that’s not all it’s good for. Let’s say you want to fill a growler to take to a club meeting, but want to avoid over-foaming or oxidation, all you have to do is attach the growler filler nozzle and voila, no more fussing with tubing that slips off the tip of the tap. Now, for my favorite part– this same nozzle can be used to fashion a super convenient counter-pressure bottle filler, similar to my beloved Bowie Bottler! All you need is about 12″ of 1/4″ hose, a #2 stopper with small hole, and a 10-12″ length of 1/4″ ID plastic or stainless tubing. I plan to write a more dedicated how-to on this later, but basically, you attach one end of the hose to the nozzle, the other end to the tubing, then slide the stopper on the tubing. To fill, simply attached the nozzle to the faucet, place the tubing in the bottle about 1/2″ from the bottom, seal the stopper on the lip of the bottle, open the “flow gate,” then gently depress the stopper as the pressure in the bottle builds. No more dialing down your keg pressure or fussing with clunky bottlers, this is as easy as it gets. Center Line also machines and sells nozzles for Vent-Matic faucets that change the hole diameter to 8mm, which is purported to get rid of “hollow pours,” an issue I’ve yet to experience, though it’s cool to know a solution exists.

| THE VERDICT |

I’ve been using these faucets now for over a month and my appreciation for them has only grown stronger. I’m not usually one to make strong recommendations about products based on my own personal experience, I understand people have different preferences, and the fact is my experience with Perlick wasn’t all that bad. But I have absolutely no qualms saying…

Vent-Matic makes the best damn faucet I’ve ever had the pleasure to pour from. Period.

From this point forward, I’ll be recommending Vent-Matic faucets to anyone reaching out with questions about keezer/kegerator builds or upgrades. Consider it an endorsement, whatever, I assure you I am in no way affiliated with the company. Any money you spend on these faucets goes to support the growth of Vent-Matic, who is committed not only to producing the highest quality faucets but to keeping the manufacturing of their products right here in the United States. Whether you’re a homebrewer serving from a keezer in your garage or a professional brewer pouring from a pub, consider outfitting your rig with Vent-Matic faucets, I trust you’ll be just as pleased as me.

You can read all about the history of Vent-Matic, see the design information, and even watch a video of a clear version of the Ultra-Flo faucet in action at Vent-Matic.com. Check it out and be sure to let them know where you came from!

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