Easy Keg Coolers

[Inkleg]

That looks and sounds AWESOME!!!!!!! Cept for the first pour issue, but sounds like that had no effect on the enjoyment of the beer.
Congratulations on a job well done and executed.

[BlackDuck]

It really did work out well. And I travelled home with the beer line under the ice on the Pale Ale. Poured a glass after carrying the cooler to the basement and it poured great. A little thicker head than normal, but not bad at all. Lessons learned on the first attempt. At least I know how to fix it in the future.


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[Inkleg]

I learn something about brewing everyday. That's why I hang out here.

[BlackDuck]

I thought I would update this with some improvements to these portable keg coolers. If you recall, I had a lot of foaming issues due to the fact the beer lines were not submerged in the ice, which made them warmer than the rest. When poured, the difference in temp caused foaming.

I’ve added some parts that allow me to bring the ice layer up above the in and out holes of the cooler. Basically, I added a bulkhead on the in side and a tap on the out side. I sealed the inside wall of the coolers at both points with rubber washers. Now, the ice layer can be all the way to the top and I don’t have to worry about water entering between the walls of the cooler as the ice melts. This also allows me to put the majority of the beer lines on the bottom so they will be completely covered in ice. It’s all set to go through a test to check for any leaks.








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[Beer-lord]

Cool Beans! This is literally cool! You should start making these for sale.

[Inkleg]

Nice job!!! That looks professional even!

[swenocha]

Bumping this for my own benefit... the daughter (who is currently studying in Scotland and sending me pint pics due to their 18yr drinking age) is already talking about the beer i will brew for her 21st bday next year, and this is outstanding and would do nicely for me. Good work! I love homebrewer tech...

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[Beer-lord]

Poor Swen, you'll have to go to Scotland and check in on her. If you need help, just let me know. I work for beer!

[ScrewyBrewer]

What a great idea, nice job on the bulkhead by the way! You're ready for Summertime already.

[berryman]

Nice Job. I didn't see this thread before.

[Hayzer]

This is a very good thread for me to have read. I will be attempting this over the next week. It seems that we need to have a little lower pressure and colder lines to avoid too much foam.

[BlackDuck]

Yes...the rework on the coolers solved the foaming problems that I initially had. The pressure was the same as I have it set when the kegs are in the fridge, which is about 12 psi. I built the coolers with a total of 10 feet of beer line, which is also the same as what my set up is in the fridge. The temp is similar between the two and the line length is the same too, so the pressure can be set the same also.

[Hayzer]

Yes...the rework on the coolers solved the foaming problems that I initially had. The pressure was the same as I have it set when the kegs are in the fridge, which is about 12 psi. I built the coolers with a total of 10 feet of beer line, which is also the same as what my set up is in the fridge. The temp is similar between the two and the line length is the same too, so the pressure can be set the same also.

Great info.! Thank you. Do you think that fastening a 5lb o2 cylinder to the side of the 10 gal drink cooler would be too much for the cooler? I think it would be handy only because two people could move the whole setup without unhooking the CO2 bottle from the keg. You know, to transfer from patio to the back of a gator for road trips. I would think that the o2 tank would need to be off the cooler when removing the keg, for fear of tipping over.

Any thoughts on having this setup in the back of a gator for rides on gravel roads? Is that too much bouncing for the beer?

[BlackDuck]

I don't think fastening the tank to the side of the cooler would be too much. The cooler is going to be heavy. A 5 gallon keg and the rest filled with ice, it's heavy. But hooking it up is very easy, it's got the quick disconnects, so it's just a minute or two to set it up. See my pictures on the first page of the set up, that took me about ten minutes total. And that includes moving the coolers from the back of my truck to that spot.

I do however, think that setting it up for gator rides will be way too much bouncing for the beer. You may foam the hell out of it.

[Kealia]

For those of us that are out West......how the hell do you ride a gator? Saddle or bare-back?

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