andrew300

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I plan on bringing a few kegs up to Tahoe for my bachelor party in a couple of months. I was looking into getting a jockey box for 2 taps and using that for the weekend. There will be about 25-30 people, so I was wondering if I should get one with stainless coils or a plate chiller. What do you guys think?

JewBrew

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I would go for the coils as you can also use it as a wort chiller. I also hate plate chillers as the corners inside are a female dog to clean.

legaleagle

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i have used both. the secondary use of the coil as a wort chiller is a plus if you do not already have one. larger diameter can be a plus as well. but i like the plate chiller because i can put it in my freezer until needed. also, it is really not hard to clean: put it in your kithcen oven on clean cycle and all residue inside is rendered to carbon ash. Shoot some Star San thru it and then hook it up to an air compressor to get all the remaining Star San out, cap the ends and stick it in your freezer until you need it again. it sits on the bottom of the jockey box underneath all the ice and water so it stays really cold for a long time. also plates are also pretty cheap right now for some reason.

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SumnerH

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It's not really worth it to me--I find it just as easy and much cheaper to set the kegs in a tub of ice and keep them cold as it is to lug around a cooler & jockey box. Just another thought, I understand for some people the jockey box is preferrable.

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On deck: Little Bo Pils, Bretta Off Dead (Brett pale)
Secondary: Oude Bruin, Red Sky at Morning (Sour brown ale)
On tap: Saison Duphunk (sour), Amarillo Slim (IPA), Earl White (ginger/bergamot wit)
Bottled: Number 8 (Belgian Strong Dark Ale), Eternale (Barleywine), Ancho Villa (Ancho/pasilla/chocolate/cinnamon RIS), Oak smoked porter (1/2 maple bourbon oaked, 1/2 apple brandy oaked)

Chipman

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Pouring for the local brewpub/workplace this weekend for a Young Dubliners show, I'll let you know how the chill plates work with the jockeybox.

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Cooking with beer? Been doing it for years.
Add it to the food? I'll have to try it sometime.

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Photopilot

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You must be up in Jackson then. Be prepared to pour a lot. The young dubs tend to bring out the Irish in people.

I have a smaller cooler that I put a copper coil in and tap years ago. Made it all myself cheap. Up till recently I did not have another way to drink from my keg during warmer months. It works pretty well. I run hot oxy then hot water then star san through it using a pressurized keg when I need to clean it.

When it is really hot outside it does not chill the beer enough. It would help to start with cold kegs. I like the thought of a chill plate though as you could also store some bottles in a larger cooler.

Matt Up North

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I like plate chillers. You can get a four tapper that fits inside a 30-40pt cooler and not have to deal with all of the coils of a cooler twice that size. I went from "cellar" temp beer at 70 to fecking colder than hell in as long as it takes to get through the tap. I also toss my kegs in a bucket of ice too, but it isn't needed if you don't really want to.

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mitch171

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I was thinking about making one with copper and thought maybe it was a bad idea. I also thought about trying to run beer hose through a copper coil and figured that would be a real pain. So I stopped thinking...

Also I get that you can use the coil as a IC, why can't you use the plate as a plate chiller for your wort as well by either running the hot wort through or cold water and immersing it like you would a coil?

NorCalMik

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What are the dimensions on your plate chiller? I found a 10"X15" 2 circuit on the cheap and am curious if it will work. Trying to make a jockey box for a houseboat.