Draft beer coolers chill the pour on its way to the tap while the keg stays where it stands — ice-bank and flow-through units, plus inline glycol chillers for a long line run.
A kegerator keeps the keg itself cold inside the cabinet. A cooler leaves the keg where it stands and chills the beer as it passes through a coil, so the pour lands cold without refrigerating the keg.
An ice bank suits a short run with the keg near the bar — the beer passes through a coil sitting in a frozen water bath. Glycol is for long draw: it chills coolant and pumps it along the line, so beer stays cold over 10-30 m from a separate keg room. The glycol never touches the beer.
Size it by your busiest hour, not by tap count. These run from a single line up to 120 L/h across six coils. Tell us peak pours and how many brands you keep on and we'll match it.
An ice bank has to build its bath first, which is around 3 hours from cold. Switch it on before service rather than during it.
