Jockey box for vacation?

[htims05]

So I’m planning a week long extended family vacation. About 15 people. In the dead of the southern heat.

I’ve had some requests to bring a couple kegs of homebrew. I only have 5 gallon kegs and was looking at the best way to bring 2 of these with me.

I saw the portable igloo cooler kegerator with 2 3-gallon kegs in it...looks cool but finding cheap 3 gallon kegs...seems difficult in my searching so far.

Plus I don’t go to a bunch of parties or events like this so spending a lot of cash for equip I will only use once or at best once a year isn’t feasible.

Should I just stick the kegs at room temp and run through a jockey box with a plate chiller or coil? I assume the co2 use here is just to serve not to actually keep it carbonated (since it’ll be 70 degree room temp)

 

[Jag75]

Plastic trash can , picnic tap , your co2 tank and some ice to go around your kegs . Cheap way to take homebrew anywhere.

 

[gnef]

Do you already have the jockey box? If not, one may cost more than you want for the once per year use. I personally have three jockey boxes (2 tap, 5 tap, and 6 tap), and think they are great overall for taking kegs around when needed. I don't use them that often any more, but I do like having them for that opportunity to bring my beer.

Also, you can ask anyone in your homebrew club if they have one you could borrow. Make sure to ask about cleaning and storage procedures, everyone is a bit different - I have said no to some club members when they asked to borrow my equipment because I knew they wouldn't take care of it properly.

 

[tmendick]

Hate to say it, bottles are the easiest way to handle this type of trip IMO

 

[htims05]

Hate to say it, bottles are the easiest way to handle this type of trip IMO

Right but I still have to buy bottles (filled or empty) and I’ve never had good luck carbing a bottle via sugar or I have to get a counter flow filler??

 

[htims05]

Do you already have the jockey box? If not, one may cost more than you want for the once per year use. I personally have three jockey boxes (2 tap, 5 tap, and 6 tap), and think they are great overall for taking kegs around when needed. I don't use them that often any more, but I do like having them for that opportunity to bring my beer.

Also, you can ask anyone in your homebrew club if they have one you could borrow. Make sure to ask about cleaning and storage procedures, everyone is a bit different - I have said no to some club members when they asked to borrow my equipment because I knew they wouldn't take care of it properly.

Wanna sell me one??? Seriously, pending picks of course. only the 2 tapper is what I’d want.

 

[jrgtr42]

if you think you may use one more often, a jockey box may be worth building. It's not super cheap, of course - but it's not hard to build. A cooler, a couple taps, a couple fittings for the back side, and however you plan to cool it - hose, copper pipe or a plate chiller - probably one of the former would be better; the action of the plate chiller is running the cold water next to the beer to cool it off.

 

[htims05]

if you think you may use one more often, a jockey box may be worth building. It's not super cheap, of course - but it's not hard to build. A cooler, a couple taps, a couple fittings for the back side, and however you plan to cool it - hose, copper pipe or a plate chiller - probably one of the former would be better; the action of the plate chiller is running the cold water next to the beer to cool it off.

I’m thinking SS coil. I probably have 2 weeks of usage this year. Other than that prob NIST a few growers work.

I’m between a jockey box or go college style and just sink the two corneys in a huge trash can full of ice - which will melt overnight.

 

[tmendick]

Right but I still have to buy bottles (filled or empty) and I’ve never had good luck carbing a bottle via sugar or I have to get a counter flow filler??

I use a the BMBF setup https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/we-no-need-no-stinking-beer-gun.24678/, about $12 total, its just a picnic tap with a bottling wand shoved into the end and a small neck carboy stopper. Its pretty easy and I've won quite a few medals using this method, much cheaper and easier than a full counterflow and you still can use co2 to force cab the keg.

 

[S-Met]

Not sure if it's available in your area, but some places rent jockey boxes. Not sure of the price though.

 

[pvpeacock]

I made a single tap jockey box for my son and took 4 five-gallon kegs of beer to his fraternity's annual father son weekend. It worked great and has me thinking about building one for myself. They are more expensive than you would think, but easy to build. I used a 75' stainless coil, intertap faucet with self-closing spring and a 5 lb CO2 tank. I also bought him a standard sanke keg tap and added two ball lock connectors to it so it can be used for corny kegs or commercial kegs. Also bought him a a hose that attaches to the beer shank on one side and a garden hose faucet on the other end so he can flush the coil after using the jockey box.

 

[AJinJacksonville]

I purchased a jockey box for the same reason about a month ago on CL locally. Came with a full 5lb CO2 tank, all the fittings, cleaner, pump for the cleaner, tools, etc. I only know of one time I'll use it this summer, but it is nice to have around. Like others have said...they can get pricey new, or even if you build it from scratch. I figured that if I don't end up using it, I can keep the CO2 tank and still do pretty well on the backend.

 

[gnef]

Wanna sell me one??? Seriously, pending picks of course. only the 2 tapper is what I’d want.

ha! I'll be holding on to mine for now, unfortunately. I built mine from used cold plates, so significantly cheaper than buying new, and I wouldn't want to source the parts again - I found some of the cold plates for really good deals, especially considering their prices new, and already had a lot of the shanks and faucets.

Since you have some time, if you are willing to piece it together and build it yourself, you could potentially do it for a pretty good price. Do make sure you have a good plan on how to clean it and dry it out on the inside though. Before I learned to do this every time, I would end up opening the jockey box to find that mold had grown in the lines between uses, and had to replace the lines more often than I should've needed to.

 

[htims05]

ha! I'll be holding on to mine for now, unfortunately. I built mine from used cold plates, so significantly cheaper than buying new, and I wouldn't want to source the parts again - I found some of the cold plates for really good deals, especially considering their prices new, and already had a lot of the shanks and faucets.

Since you have some time, if you are willing to piece it together and build it yourself, you could potentially do it for a pretty good price. Do make sure you have a good plan on how to clean it and dry it out on the inside though. Before I learned to do this every time, I would end up opening the jockey box to find that mold had grown in the lines between uses, and had to replace the lines more often than I should've needed to.

Good advice...how do you dry the insides of the coils?

 

[gnef]

Good advice...how do you dry the insides of the coils?

When cleaning, I first rinse with water and then I use my oilless air compressor to blow out all the water until no drips or water vapor felt coming from the faucet.

I built adapters to be able to do this easily - so I just hook up the jockey box directly to ground water pressure, and then I have it hooked directly to an air compressor fitting, it works pretty well for me. It helps that I now have bev seal ultra 235 tubing on my jockey boxes, so I just use John Guest fittings for my connections.

 

[OpenSights]

Plastic trash can , picnic tap , your co2 tank and some ice to go around your kegs . Cheap way to take homebrew anywhere.

That’s my hillbilly lake kegerator! I can fit three kegs and plenty of ice! Co2 tank bungee’d on the outside. The past two years it was a hit at family reunion.

 

[S-Met]

Good advice...how do you dry the insides of the coils?

I do a final push with starsan on a ½ hand pump sprayer. Drain it to a container and push out as much foam by hand. The little bit of residual starsan foam is fine until next use.

 

[htims05]

That’s my hillbilly lake kegerator! I can fit three kegs and plenty of ice! Co2 tank bungee’d on the outside. The past two years it was a hit at family reunion.

I think this is probably what I’m going to do as so far I can’t justify the cost of a box. Not for at most 2 uses a year.

 

[OpenSights]

My home kegerator holds three kegs too, so I borrow my three way co2 splitter, that way all picnic taps can run at the same time.