Jock Box Questions...

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fatman1959
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Jock Box Questions...

#1 Post by fatman1959 » Thu Mar 19, 2015 12:03 am

Ok, so everyone here has convinced me to keg. I have put together a very cheap setup by buying parts from different dealers.

The whole downside is refrigeration of the keg/kegs.

Granted this is all based on assumptions but if I understand how everything is hooked up,,, CO2 comes from the bottle, thru the regulator then into the ball lock carny keg. The beer then comes out the other port of the keg off to at the very least a picnic tap. Leaving the only thing left to work on is the cooling of the beer somewhere along the dispensing path.

Considering I really don't have the money for a fridge/kegerator,, from what I can figure out, one of my choices left to me is possibly a jock box.

Correct me if I am wrong on the concept here, but if I understand it right,, the beer (warm) goes into the cooler/ice chest into the back, runs it's course through the SS coil that is submerged in the ice in the cooler, gets cold in the coil and comes out of a regular faucet/tap nice and chilly ready for drinking on the front of the cooler/ice chest.

Is this correct??

If I am correct,, what,, if any,, are the drawbacks to serving beer through a jock box like that??

The beer in the keg will be kegged at room temp, and with a jock box setup, it will stay at room temp until I put ice in the box and start pouring. Seems like a good way to go for a person like myself on a disabled fixed income.

Give me some feedback on the good the bad and the ugly of the jock box.

Also,, has anyone got a jock box for sale,,, REALLY cheap?? Or on the installment plan?

:lol:
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Phoenix
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Re: Jock Box Questions...

#2 Post by Phoenix » Thu Mar 19, 2015 6:46 am

You've got the jockey box concept correct, but I don't think that it is a practical choice. You can buy a used refrigerator from craigslist for less than a jockey box will cost. I've bought a few that way for $50-$75. What are you going to do, buy a bag of ice every day?

If you owned the apartment fridge, you could poke a hole in it and put a coil inside. You could even use a plastic coil. They use SS and ice to get fast cooling, but at a low delivery rate, it would make little difference. Or, you could make a cheap jockey box with a plastic coil and a picnic tap kept inside.
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fatman1959
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Re: Jock Box Questions...

#3 Post by fatman1959 » Thu Mar 19, 2015 8:11 am

After a long night of research, the one thing I found out about Jockey Boxes was that the keg has to also be cold or the foam would overwhelm the pouring.

That is not a good thing.

So I applied for PayPal Credit that gives me 6 months to pay off charges with no interest. So I ordered a nice kegerator on that credit along with all the other goodies needed to set up my kegging system. In other words, I went further in debt to get nice cold draft beer.

It had to be done.... :drunken:
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Joe Yoder
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Re: Jock Box Questions...

#4 Post by Joe Yoder » Thu Mar 19, 2015 10:05 am

Good job, Monte, sounds like you came to the most reasonable solution! Your other solutions, jockey box, etc. would have cost you more in the long run anyway and would probably not have been optimal.
Joe

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Re: Jock Box Questions...

#5 Post by Ace » Thu Mar 19, 2015 11:38 am

These two posts (this and the keg discussion) have been entertaining and informative. Thanks all of you.

fatman1959
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Re: Jock Box Questions...

#6 Post by fatman1959 » Thu Mar 19, 2015 1:12 pm

Joe Yoder wrote:Good job, Monte, sounds like you came to the most reasonable solution! Your other solutions, jockey box, etc. would have cost you more in the long run anyway and would probably not have been optimal.
Joe
I agree Joe. This solution (while putting me further into debt) did seem to be the most logical choice. PLUS should I decide to go to a 2 tap system all I have to do is buy a 2 tap tower, and a "Y" connector for the CO2.

Ace wrote:These two posts (this and the keg discussion) have been entertaining and informative. Thanks all of you.
Yvw Ace. I am still learning the craft so I will have even more questions over time. Stay tuned!
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