A jockey box for club night.

Jockey Box

A jockey box is a portable dispensing device that's used to chill beer just in time for serving, removing the need to keep kegs of beer cold when serving. A jockey box needs to be functional, easy to use, and ideally pleasant to look at as you are showcasing all the craftsmanship that went into making your homebrew.

It works on the principles that the kegs of beer are sitting at room temperature, and when the beer passes through the heat exchange (coil or cold plate) located in the cooler box the beer temperature will drop to the ideal dispensing temperature. It is the perfect system for large parties or special events such as a family reunion, company picnic, camping, or club night at the National Homebrewers Conference (NHC). As it does not require any electricity it can be set up anywhere. CO2 gas is used to pressurize the keg for dispensing.

Brew Free or Die will be serving it's homebrew at this year's NHC, this is will be our third year of attending and serving beer at club night. Last year we took top honors by winning best beer at club night with a Zeus IPA from Todd Russell. The jockey box that I had previously built consisted of a 5-way cold plate (capable of serving 5 beers at one time). It had worked great over the last several years, but I really wanted to increase the number of beer/mead/cider that could be on draft, and I really showcase our homebrew, here's how I went about it.

I found a 7-way cold plate on ebay. I have had very consistent results with both types of heat exchangers (coils, cold plates), however I am not sure it's practical to have 7 coils inside one cooler. A cold plate consists of cast aluminum block with stainless steel coils inside of it, the cold plate for this project weights in at 26 lbs.

I wanted a wooden exterior for the jockey box. While on my way to the hardware store to pick up the raw materials that I would need to build one from scratch, I took a quick tour of HomeGoods and I found exactly what I needed. It's a outdoor wooden cooler that's meant to match the deck furniture. The price was about half that of anything I had found on line. It was unfinished, designed to be taken apart with a hex wrench, and designed to take the abuse of being outside for extended periods of time. All it needed was to be finished, and some other minor changes.

Getting the cooler home I completely disassembled it so that I had 5 panels, where I proceeded to sand, and polyurethane. Each layer of polyurethane must be allowed to dry completely (24 hours), then sanded with at minimum 200 grit paper, cleaned of dust and then a new layer of polyurethane applied.

I enhanced the structural integrity of the wooden exterior so that I could add handles to the side for easier jockeying around, and I wanted to ensure that the faucets would have enough support. Taking a 1/4" thick piece of plywood, I glued and secured the plywood to the slats on the sides where the handles were going, and the where the faucets were going to be paced.

Here's what the jockey box looked like after getting polyurethane applied:




Given that the hinges and the connectors had a brass finishes, I choose to keep all the accents in brass, including the drip tray, handles for carrying, and additional accents pieces, etc.
Here's a photo of the interior of the jockey box:



Given that a jockey box is often on a table, I didn't want the inbound tubing exiting from the back of the jockey box, where it would be visible. So with the cooler disassembled I drilled the 7 holes for the inbound beer lines, and then ran them down between the wooden exterior and the cooler. I connected the in and out lines in the picture above so I could keep track of which line is going to be which for final assembly. I am using 3/16" ID PVC tubing for the beer line, ordered a 100' as it was more cost efficient. I use hose clamps on all fittings. Nothing worse than opening a jockey box and seeing it full of your beer... this did happen to me at an event quite a number of years back. The handles shown in the picture above provide easy way for carrying the jockey box.

Next up is working out the logistics of where to place the faucets. I had 17.5 inch surface to work with allowing me to center the faucets every 2.5 inches allowing them equally spaced. A 7/8" hole saw was used to cut the holes for the faucets. I was extremely worried about making a mistake at this stage, and measured twice to ensure I had accurate center marks before I drilled. Also of consideration is the height of the faucets.




Here's a photo of the drip tray slider that I built, likely easier ways to do this but this is the best I could come up with that would allow me to hide the drip tray for storage and shipping, and allow for it to be extended without visible supports. This photo shows the underneath of the jockey box, I used two 5 inch sections of copper pipe, and a 10" dowel. It's set back 5 inches from the edge of the jockey box, a section of plywood is attached to the two dowels, and then I secured the support tray (oak board pictured) to the piece of plywood. Using a screw at the end of each dowel prevents the drip tray from being extended too far.





Here's a photo of the drip tray hidden:







Here the drip tray is extended:





Michael Fairbrother
Treasurer Brew Free or Die
Life time member of AHA

BJCP Category 16 (Belgian & French Ales) Club Competition

It's time to brew up something funky for summer! The winner of the Brown Ale Competition picked Belgian and French Ales for the next club competition. This is BJCP Category 16 under the 2004 Style Guidelines. Brew a Witbier, Belgian Pale Ale, Saison, Biere de Garde, or Belgian Specialty Ale in time for tasting in August. Regardless of what you brew, it will be judged in one of those sub-categories.

The same competition rules apply as always:

The beer must be ready to drink by the August 2008 BFD meeting at Bert and Harriet Bingel's house. It must be labelled with the brewer’s name and submitted in one of the following containers: 2 12 oz. bottles, 1 22 oz. bottle, or 1 container with at least 22 ounces of beer (i.e. growler, plastic soda bottle, etc.).

Contact any of the members of the Competition Committee (Todd, Phil, Billy K., Bill R. or Mary) if you have any questions.

Why it's not a good idea to miss club meetings

Billy and Sue Kannenburg hosted a FABULOUS meeting last night! In addition to the usual excellent assortment of snacks and homebrews there were beers Sue brought back to share with us from her trip to Seattle. I thought the Elysian Ambrosia Maibock and the Alaskan Smoked Porter were standouts. The dip that Billy made was also outstanding. (Hint: Recipes can be added as comments to this blog post.) Jim Prucha explained how he makes excellent beer from extract, and brought some delicious samples (I liked the 10th anniversary beer especially).

Friday morning also brought exciting news for BFD: the results from the first round of the National Homebrewers competition were announced. Winners in the North East region included:

• John Allin, 2nd place in Belgian and French Ale


• Chris Dodge 1st place in Scottish and Irish Red


• Chris Dodge 1st place in American Ale


• Michael Fairbrother, 1st place in Traditional Mead


• Jim Prucha 2nd place in Dark Lager


• Todd Russell, 1st place in Porter

Way to go BFD brewers!

May Meeting

The next club meeting will be Friday, May 9 at 7:00pm.

Billy and Sue Kannenburg will be our hosts and Jim Prucha will do a presentation on brewing good beers with extract. He will also share some samples of his award winning beers.

Please remember to bring some brews (extract-based ones if you have them) to share and snacks for the potluck.

Directions to the Kannenburgs:

54 LaFrance Road
Weare, NH
H# 603-529-7517
C# 603-491-4796
C# 603-361-3710

DO NOT FOLLOW ANY MAPQUEST DIRECTIONS AS THEY WILL BRING YOU DOWN A UNMAINTAINED ROAD. GPS MAY DO THE SAME.

FROM THE SOUTH

I93 to I293 or Route 3 to Route 101 West - following signs to Rte 114 Goffstown.
At last light take a left onto Rte 114 (Henniker & Goffstown).
You will pass the Women's State Prison, go through Goffstown center, pass Sully's Market into Weare.
You will pass Lanctots/Dunkin Donuts, Cold Springs Campground and Granite State Telephone.
You will then see Country Three Corners (Sunoco gas/lumber yard) on your left and the Weare Town Grill on the right. There will be a sign Rte 149/77.
Take left at the Sunoco gas station, then a immediate right onto Rte 149 toward Deering. There is a brick building on the corner.
Go up sharp S Curve, and take your 2nd right onto Mt. Dearborn Road. The first right is Corliss Way. There will be a white church on the Corner of Rte 149 and Mt. Dearborn Road.
We are approximately 2 miles from this point. First mile is pavement, you will pass the Grant Family Pond Sugar House and the road will change to dirt.
Take your 2nd right (it actually is kind of a Y in the road) onto LaFrance Road (sign is missing so we will try to get a balloon there). The first right is Maplewold.
We are the 4th house (not driveway) on the right on LaFrance Road. Only log house on the road, horse in back yard.

Alternatively, you could take the Goffstown back road (AKA Elm Street) from Manchester into Goffstown and take right at end (stop sign) onto Rte 114. You will be right at Sully's and follow the rest of the directions.

FROM THE NORTH

I93 South to I89 North. Take Exit 2 Clinton Street Exit.
Take left at end of exit onto Rte 13/77 toward Dunbarton.
Follow through blinking caution light (it changes to Rte 77 here) pass Page's Country Store, keep going all the way until the road ends.
There will be a stop sign 4 way intersection (Weare Congregational Church on the left).
Take left onto Rte 114 south, follow through Weare Center (30mph!).
Then up hill past Dimitri's Plaza.
Follow sign for Rte 149/77 you will bear right when you see Country Three Corners.
Then take immediate right onto Rte 149 toward Deering. There is a brick building on the corner.
Go up sharp S Curve, and take your 2nd right onto Mt. Dearborn Road. The first right is Corliss Way. There will be a white church on the Corner of Rte 149 and Mt. Dearborn Road.
We are approximately 2 miles from this point. First mile is pavement, you will pass the Grant Family Pond Sugar House and the road will change to dirt.
Take your 2nd right (it actually is kind of a Y in the road) onto LaFrance Road (sign is missing so we will try to get a balloon there). The first right is Maplewold.
We are the 4th house (not driveway) on the right on LaFrance Road. Only log house on the road, horse in back yard.

WE ARE ABOUT 30 MINUTES FROM MANCHESTER OR CONCORD.

Brown Ale Club Competition Results

Thanks to Billy, Sue, Joe, Maureen, Eric, Jim, and Mary for judging the 10 entries on Friday. Cheers to all the brewers who submitted beers ranging from Northern English Brown ales to a Honey Brown with Sour Cherries. I look forward to seeing the same level of participation and quality at the next competition.

Without further ado, here are the results:

3rd Place - Jim Prucha - Northern English Brown
2nd Place - Billy Kannenburg - Northern English Brown
1st Place - Todd Russell - Mild

The winners all received fantastic new BFD ribbons courtesy of Brian Parda.

As announced previously, the winner will get to choose the category for the next competition. Stay tuned for an update at the May Meeting.

Here's one for you Kevin

Kevin,

What can I possibly say... other than rest in peace, you will be missed!


You made some incredible food that was bold and spicy, and were an inspiration to others who were just getting into brewing, you had a great sense of humor and a wonderful appreciation of all things beer, cider, and mead!


I will kick one back in your honor tonight.

Michael

April 2008 Meeting Directions

The next club meeting will be Friday, April 11 at 7:00pm.


Joe & Maureen Moore will be our hosts and Bert will do a presentation on MEAD including history, info on honey, and some samples.


Please remember to bring your Brown Ale Club Competition entry, brews (meads perhaps?) to share, and snacks for the potluck.


Directions to the Moore house
6 Bowman Court, Merrimack
603-429-8352


From Manchester
Take Rte 101 west.
Get off at South River Rd in Bedford. (Bedford Mall / Macy's)
Follow South River Rd. south to Merrimack. (It becomes D.W. Highway in Merrimack)
Immediately after passing Silo's Steakhouse, turn right at the trafficlights onto Bedford Rd.
Follow Bedford Rd. to the traffic lights.
Turn left onto Joppa Rd.
Take your 3rd right onto Derry St.
Follow Derry St. to the Stop sign.
Take a left at the Stop sign onto Burt St.
Take your first left onto Bowman Court.
We're the 3rd house on the left, number 6.


From Nashua
Take F. E. Everett Turnpike north to exit 11.
Turn right at the bottom of the exit ramp onto Continental Blvd.
At the traffic lights turn left onto D.W. Highway (heading north)
Turn left at the traffic lights onto Baboosic Lake Rd. (at the Mobil station)
Follow Baboosic Lake Rd. over the highway.
Stay to the right at the fork in the road.
Immediately after the fork turn right onto Joppa Rd.
Take the 3rd left onto Derry St.
Follow Derry St. to the Stop sign.
Take a left at the Stop sign onto Burt St.
Take your first left onto Bowman Court.
We're the 3rd house on the left, number 6.

What are you entering in AHA?

The American Homebrewers Association National Homebrew Competition is approaching and the time has come to decide what you are entering and send it in.

IMPORTANT DATES
First Round Entries Due March 31 - April 11, 2008
Second Round Judging, June 19, 2008
Awards Ceremony June 21, 2008, at the National Homebrewers Conference.

Excellent Event at Ebenezer's

Ebenezers's Restaurant and Pub in Lovell Maine was the site of a great BFD event this weekend. Thanks to Jeff & Pam Goyette who arranged everything, and to owner Chris Lively who provided us with a wealth of outstanding beers from his cellar. Among the great beers that I got to try were Black Albert, Russian River's Salvation (batches 1 + 5), and Chris's custom blend of Boon Geueze and Cantillon Kriek (totally yummy!) Fifteen of us made up the BFD party at Ebenezer's and I encourage those of you who were lucky enough to be there to add comments to this posting and let everyone else know what they missed.