The present invention pertains to apparatus for dispensing liquid from a container and, more particularly, to a unified structure made up of several distinct components mounted on a stand pipe that extends outwardly from one end of the container. The unified structure of the invention includes a liquid dispensing valve as well as a high pressure gas canister and a hand pump for maintaining the liquid in the container under pressure.
It is a common practice for a beverage such as beer or ale to be sold in a bulk container in the form of a barrel or keg and then later dispensed from the container by the purchaser utilizing a portable pressurizing device for pumping gas into the container whereby the gas will force the liquid beverage out through an outlet conduit when a dispensing valve is manually opened. The pressurizing gas may be ambient air compressed and forced into the container by a typical hand air pump or it may be carbon dioxide released from an adjunct pressurized container and injected through appropriate connection means into the beverage container.
Of the two gases generally used for the aforedescribed purpose, carbon dioxide is much preferred, particularly in the pressurized dispensing of beer or ale, because it tends to maintain the quality and flavor characteristics of the beverage whereas air, particularly after a prolonged time period, will result in flavor deterioration. Nevertheless, the use of pressurized air to dispense beer from a keg continues to have its place because it is relatively less expensive and may be quite adequate for the intended purpose, if all of the liquid is to be dispensed from the container in a relatively short period of time or where all immediately available carbon dioxide has been exhausted and pumping air into the pressurized container to achieve dispensation of the liquid is the only available alternative.