Beer through water dispenser in fridge

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cbotrice

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Has anyone tried to run beer through the water dispenser in a fridge? I am considering cutting the storage section out of the water system in my garage (rapidly becoming beer) fridge and tying it into the dispensing system for my Cornelius kegs. Has anyone tried this? Does anyone know if it will or will not work? Thanks, Mike
 
*Has anyone tried to run beer through the water dispenser in a fridge?*

Funny you should say that because I was just pondering that myself yesterday. I kind of have the same issue, a fridge that just sits there with all the extra soda and frozen stuff but the dispenser is going to waste. As you look into it keep me posted and I'll ask a friend who fiddles with appliances. He hates it when I say that.
 
Hey always thought that vodka through the water dispenser and crushed ice through the ice machine was a very good mix. MPW
 
cbotrice said:
Hey always thought that vodka through the water dispenser and crushed ice through the ice machine was a very good mix. MPW

I would think that the line would be to small and it would take forever to fill a mug. Not to mention all the aeration that would take place.

It could probably be reworked and be acceptable though. Why not try just running a regular tap line to the water dispenser and modifying the Tap to work with the pressure handle of the water dispencer.


Now the vodka idea would definately work, or any liquer fro that matter. Nothing like chilled Tequilla.


I just had a great idea for a poster...A fridge full of Mexan beer, a water line full of tequilla and a potted miniture Lime tree sitting next to it. And of course a caption that reads "GOT SALT?"
 
I know this is an old post. But I'm curious on if the OP's question is doable. I have a fridge that I'm consider trying this out on with a Corny Keg, CO2 and running some line to the water dispenser. Has anybody been able to do this successfully? If so, how did you manage to hook it up? What equipment was used? My main concerns are: will there be too much foam, and will the beer stay good (not go flat) for a decent length of time (at least 2 months)?

Thanks in advance.
 
seems like it would be easy enough to just take out the water supply hook ups and run new hose. re do it with a tap handle and what not. i wish i had an old fridge laying around so i could take it apart.
 
Sounds awesome!

I think the vodka would be more practical without installing a tap.
Scotch would be better!
Ice is all the mixer you need, if you bother with that.
hmmm..... I was just in the used appliance store tonight looking for a bar fridge to keep ice and bottled beer in.
one with a water dispenser would be bigger, but wouldn't cost much more.

What do you think, CO2 to push the Scotch?
It would have to be cheaper booze since I wouldn't use expensive stuff.
Hell, Tennessee whiskey would be about right for the system.
I would need another CO2 tank tank and a pressure tank. About have to be a corney keg.
It could get expensive but it would be ultra cool!
I would be the only kid on the block with one.
 
I'd use nitrogen to push the liquor! But cold whiskey isn't something I'm into, I like it room temp.
 
I know this is an old post. But I'm curious on if the OP's question is doable. I have a fridge that I'm consider trying this out on with a Corny Keg, CO2 and running some line to the water dispenser. Has anybody been able to do this successfully? If so, how did you manage to hook it up? What equipment was used? My main concerns are: will there be too much foam, and will the beer stay good (not go flat) for a decent length of time (at least 2 months)?

Thanks in advance.

Should work, I would worry about cleaning, but bypass filter the valve is rated to 85psi and run 10+ feet of beer line
 
I'd use nitrogen to push the liquor! But cold whiskey isn't something I'm into, I like it room temp.

I think avoiding carbonating the whiskey with the gas turned up enough to push it decent would be a bigger problem than the temperature
 
Of course not. It would nitrogen-ate it. Sorry.. couldnt help myself.

I would just modify one of those liquor porurer lids to not measure out, and lengthen the vent line to the bottom of the bottle, then attach the tip to the water hose. Then rig up some sort of bottle holster where it can hang the bottle upside down in the freezer. Voila Vodka from the water dispenser.
 
:off:
If you were serious about pumping something flat (bourbon, scotch, tequila, whatever), I would recommend using a CO2 powered double-diaphragm pump, like they use to pump soda syrup to bar guns or soda dispensers. They don't use a lot of CO2, and the liquid is never in contact with the gas so it doesn't have a chance to absorb it. Plus they work to always maintain pressure in the line so there's no need to maintain anything - just plug in the CO2 line and set your pressure once and the rest is on-demand booze, chilled, straight from the fridge.

I used this same technique when I had a bar gun, but I didn't want no stinking soda, so it pumped Gin, Vodka, Rum, Tequila, Scotch, OJ, Cranberry Juice, and whatever I wanted on the 8th button.

Back On Topic:
I see no reason why running the beer wouldn't work - I'm not sure what the line sizes are, but you could adjust pressures and hose length to accomodate. I think the plastic parts might get nasty after time and cleaning may be difficult.

-Kevin
 
:off:
If you were serious about pumping something flat (bourbon, scotch, tequila, whatever), I would recommend using a CO2 powered double-diaphragm pump, like they use to pump soda syrup to bar guns or soda dispensers. They don't use a lot of CO2, and the liquid is never in contact with the gas so it doesn't have a chance to absorb it. Plus they work to always maintain pressure in the line so there's no need to maintain anything - just plug in the CO2 line and set your pressure once and the rest is on-demand booze, chilled, straight from the fridge.

I used this same technique when I had a bar gun, but I didn't want no stinking soda, so it pumped Gin, Vodka, Rum, Tequila, Scotch, OJ, Cranberry Juice, and whatever I wanted on the 8th button.

Back On Topic:
I see no reason why running the beer wouldn't work - I'm not sure what the line sizes are, but you could adjust pressures and hose length to accomodate. I think the plastic parts might get nasty after time and cleaning may be difficult.

-Kevin

Well since the original post was in 2005, and it took the left hand turn into vodka long ago, I didn't think that following that tangent would hurt anything.
They guy from 2005 has probably either built it, or gave up by now.

Back to your CO2 powered pump.
These are just pumps that use CO2 as a power source?
 
Actually they can use any type of pressurized gas/air

Correct. When you fill up a soda from a dispenser and you hear a little *woosh* from the back room every few seconds, that's the pump. The ones I had were double diaphragm, they pumped fluid on both strokes. I think they all are. I'll try and find a link.
 
if you're using the water feed line on the back of the fridge - doesn't it feed both the water on the door and the ice maker? Scotch in the ice maker just seems like a poor idea...
 
How come noone's had this brilliant idea on a commercial scale? I mean we have fridges these days with computers in them and rfid readers that can call our phones and tell us to pick up milk, and NOONE's come up with different dispenser options on Fridges? We can send a man to the moon, but something important like this?

It never occured to me before. But it's cool.
 
Exactly!
Scotch on the rocks without the rocks to melt and ruin my good scotch.

When I add a fridge to my bar, I'm shopping for one with a water dispenser, used of course.

Though there is the question of if the freezer gets cold enough to actually freeze the scotch and not just make a scotch slushy. I know many people who keep cheap vodka in the freezer and it only gets thicker. Scotch is the same proof as vodka so I do not think it will freeze.
 
Here's the question for our chemists... how much water would you need to add to your scotch ice cube slushie to actually have the entire mixture freeze into a solid cube, that you could then put into your glass of fridge-dispensed scotch for a legit scotch on the rocks with scotch rocks?
 
If you go back to the Vodka idea one could use the carbon filter system that most water dispensing fridges have as well.
 
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