Studio Square

Larry Cerullo, co-owner of recently opened LIC beer garden Studio Square, isn’t paranoid, it’s just that he never, ever wants to run out of cold suds. So he’s set up an elaborate stopgap storehouse and dispensing system. The bar’s 1,100-square-foot storage room, called the “walk-in box,” currently holds about 300 kegs—or 4,650 gallons of beer.

These glycol power packs are responsible for circulating cooling fluid through the system. “We only needed four of them,” says installer Bob Albert, “but instead we put in eight.”

The beer is kept at 36 degrees—if the temp in the walk-in box tops 40, an alarm sounds. “But that won’t happen,” says Albert. “Keeping the beer cold only requires two compressors, and this system has four. If the first two break down, the other two come on.” And yes, the place has a generator in case of Blackout 2010.

Even if for some reason the walk-in box does get warm, your Radeberger will still be ice-cold by the time it reaches you. Moving through an artery-like system of cooling tubes, a room-temperature beer (70 degrees) will plummet to 32 degrees while traveling the 180 feet from keg to tap.

The beer is pumped through black boxes that work like hearts, forcing the liquid through the lines at whatever pressure the brewer deems appropriate for that beverage. Lagers (the variety of choice at Studio Square) require 22 pounds of pressure, and emerge from one of the bar’s 80 taps at an efficient, delicious two ounces per second.

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