jockey box question

thinking of getting a jockey box set up for outdoor parties and what not. everything i ve seen on them says to keep the keg cold at all times. why do you need to do that if the jockey box is keeping the beer cold at the tap?

warm beer loses carbonation

force33 said:

thinking of getting a jockey box set up for outdoor parties and what not. everything i ve seen on them says to keep the keg cold at all times. why do you need to do that if the jockey box is keeping the beer cold at the tap?

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If the keg is not down to at least 50 or 60F then the coil or cold plate will not be able to chill the beer down to drinking temps without additional length.

That's why I went with the keg in the cube cooler solution. Once priced out it was actually cheaper for me to go that route. Do a search in the DIY section for "chit wagon" for build info. The cheapest price I found on the smaller kegs was at cornykegs.com.

Im guessing the first two people that answered dont have a jockeybox. I only ice the kegs on seriously hot days (above 85). Otherwise mine will serve cold beer no problem. I use a 7 pass cold plate with 6 taps hooked up. I havent actually measured the temp but I can tell you my beer pours cold. Will carbonation change on a warm keg? Sure it will, but jockeyboxes are typically a temporary serving setup and for a weekend there wont be an issue.

Depending on the style of jockey box, and the rate of dispensing, there will come a point where the jockey box can't chill the beer down fast enough to support the pour rates.

Those built with ss coils can typically handle a warmer temp of the beer before it becomes an issue.

Ideally I like to keep mine 60F or cooler, and typically 45-55F to minimize problems and water build up in the cooler. Mine is a 4 pass plate chiller.

Also for a plate chiller, you want to drain the water off as it melts to keep the ice in contact with the plate. In some venues, this isn't easy to accomplish, so I will keep the kegs even colder

bucfanmike said:

Im guessing the first two people that answered dont have a jockeybox. I only ice the kegs on seriously hot days (above 85). Otherwise mine will serve cold beer no problem. I use a 7 pass cold plate with 6 taps hooked up. I havent actually measured the temp but I can tell you my beer pours cold. Will carbonation change on a warm keg? Sure it will, but jockeyboxes are typically a temporary serving setup and for a weekend there wont be an issue.

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I would like to second this, though I have served beer in 90 weather with no chilling of the kegs. I have a four product plate with four taps and everything turned out just fine. Nice and cold.

I made some insulating sleeves out of Reflectix that helps keep the kegs cold for hours if in the shade. Seems to help.