# 5 Gal Corny Keg in an 100qt cooler?



## huck_finn (Oct 20, 2010)

Might be easier to not cool ot down after putting it in the corny's and run a coiled line through your ice to cool it. That might require some mods to the cooler though. I have also done it just by putting my 5 gal kegs in the river it worked well but it was a cold creek. Good luck home brew is the best after a long day of paddling.


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## laterwagged (Sep 29, 2011)

huck_finn said:


> Might be easier to not cool ot down after putting it in the corny's and run a coiled line through your ice to cool it. That might require some mods to the cooler though. I have also done it just by putting my 5 gal kegs in the river it worked well but it was a cold creek. Good luck home brew is the best after a long day of paddling.


Yea I don't want to butcher the cooler. And the Deschutes in August will be warmer than your bath water.


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## huck_finn (Oct 20, 2010)

I've also done the coil trick with a 5 gal bucket and ice. Hope u have a good trip


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## DangerousDave (Apr 11, 2007)

*Kegs*

I know that an 8-gal keg will fit in a 150-qt cooler so I'm pretty sure that a 5-gal corny will fit in a 100 qt but you may want to measure to be sure.

A couple weeks ago, our group had 2 kegs (5 & 8-gallon) on the Middle Fork. Seven people knocked off the 5-gal in just over 2 days and the 8-gal in about 3 days. It's nice to have cans for lunch beers and river sodas. We kept them in the floor of a self-bailing raft and the river water kept them at a decent temperature. In camp, we usually tethered them to a raft and left them standing in a few inches of water. The brew got a little flat but I think that if the rented tap hadn't been defective, it would have stayed carbonated with no problem. We disconnected the tap after we finished drinking for the night. Freshness should not be a problem if you're using a CO2 system.


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## Schutzie (Feb 5, 2013)

Micro home brew would be unique, and no doubt tasty.

But, you gotta ask yourself; if it ain't icy cold, and it's been all shook up for a day or so, does it really matter, home brew or Coors or PBR?

I mean, my experience is once it gets warm it all tastes about the same; tasty still, but not much difference to our unrefined taste buds.

The 8 beers a Western guide gave me after I ran Lava the first time were indeed ambrosia. Even if they were in a burlap sack he'd found in an eddy the day before, and even if they were piss warm, and even if they had been floating around long enough that the cans had been polished smooth. And even if there was a distinct "musty burlap" after taste to them.

It was me, I'd save the home brew for before or after.


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## TriBri1 (Nov 15, 2011)

Outside of the novelty of pouring beers from a keg, it is a waste of energy and space considering all the wonderful micros that now come in a can. Don't get me wrong, i dream about floating kegs down the river too. I would suggest getting a growler or two and filling them up as a special non-canned treat for the river.


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## DoStep (Jun 26, 2012)

My very first GC trip in the late 80's, the TL and his brother were a master brewer and baker. We took ten of the five gallon tanks of micro brew and a CO2 system (not to mention a giant dry box full of fresh bread products!). Pretty easy to deal with actually, and we used the empty containers for drinking water. Tanks were not stored in coolers tho, as most know beer in GC is drank at river temp, and that was more than adequate. 

Your logistics for cold beer are a little different, and if this is to be a regular item on your trips, consider dedicating a cooler to it. You could bury it in a convenient place on the boat to allow good access to it, and it would stay cold for the duration of the contents. Opening the cooler for every beer poured is the least desirable method, but if its all ya got, than that's what ya do. I always like the reduced trash that keg beer offers over cans, and like I said, you can use the empty tank for water and seltzer to reduce wasted space.

Post a report on what you did and how it went when you're done.


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## mcfarrel (Apr 1, 2006)

I've never heard of the 5 gal bucket trick... sounds like an awesome substitution for a jockey box. And if you do consider growlers I have one of these hydro flask ones which keeps beer cold for a day on its own. (in the shade)
64 oz Wide Mouth Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Growler | Hydro Flask


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## Schutzie (Feb 5, 2013)

mcfarrel said:


> I've never heard of the 5 gal bucket trick... sounds like an awesome substitution for a jockey box. And if you do consider growlers I have one of these hydro flask ones which keeps beer cold for a day on its own. (in the shade)
> 64 oz Wide Mouth Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Growler | Hydro Flask


*Schutzie needs to read better..........he thought this said groover at first and threw up in his mouth*


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## huck_finn (Oct 20, 2010)

Sorry i didn't think of this earlier you can get a piece that makes it do you can carbonate 2liter bottles cap em and bring them with. I used to use them before i had kegs to keep beer and take places. Should help with the flatness


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## cupido76 (May 22, 2009)

I could see you pouring mostly foam with the boats rocking around a lot.

If you do it and it works, please report back, because I love the idea.


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## laterwagged (Sep 29, 2011)

cupido76 said:


> I could see you pouring mostly foam with the boats rocking around a lot.
> 
> If you do it and it works, please report back, because I love the idea.


Will do.


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## Toshkya (Nov 26, 2012)

I bring a couple corny kegs with me on most trips. I have a 120 yeti cooler, one keg fits in great with my 5 pound co2 tank. Bring more then you think tho. When using cups a little more spilliage happens. And good homebrew goes down quick. I bring a 15' picnic tap, helps cut down on the foam. I also run my pressure a little lower around 7 psi. Foam has never been a issue.


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## laterwagged (Sep 29, 2011)

Toshkya said:


> I bring a couple corny kegs with me on most trips. I have a 120 yeti cooler, one keg fits in great with my 5 pound co2 tank. Bring more then you think tho. When using cups a little more spilliage happens. And good homebrew goes down quick. I bring a 15' picnic tap, helps cut down on the foam. I also run my pressure a little lower around 7 psi. Foam has never been a issue.


Good to hear - Our CO2 setup does not have a full tank tank, it uses very small disposable/recyclable CO2 cylinders which is what made us think this was possible.

If this works, I may have to consider modifying a cooler for this purpose.

Sitting here at work reading this thread is giving me a serious thirst for some beer. I feel a happy hour coming on...


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## cupido76 (May 22, 2009)

This is awesome! I have to try this myself.

I actually have a few short 2.5 gallon legs that should be easy to fit into any cooler size, and would allow for variety.

All of the sudden I envision a cooler mounted "kegerator" for trips I'm not worried about flip danger.


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## Toshkya (Nov 26, 2012)

Ya I've been seriously considering drilling a hole in my cooler to run the beer line out. It would be really nice to just grab the tap and pour lifting the lid is a pain in the ass while ur on the river. Its also nice to have long beer lines so you can pull the tap off the boat at camp and just leave it on the shore without the drunks getting on my boat every time.

I also take the inlet tube that's inside the keg and bend it to one side. That way when the keg is laying down you can almost drain the hole thing with out tipping it upright.


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## cupido76 (May 22, 2009)

Toshkya said:


> Ya I've been seriously considering drilling a hole in my cooler to run the beer line out. It would be really nice to just grab the tap and pour lifting the lid is a pain in the ass while ur on the river. Its also nice to have long beer lines so you can pull the tap off the boat at camp and just leave it on the shore without the drunks getting on my boat every time.


Good point.

Maybe it's worthwhile to drill a hole just wide enough for a beer line, and rig some sort of rubber grommet system to keep the opening roughly sealed and keep the line in the same place?


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## orto11 (Mar 8, 2013)

I run a 2.5 short keg, they aren't cheap but compact. I have never had an issue keeping it cold. I bring a co2 tank and regulator with the quick disconect fittings. I keep it at around 20lbs of co2 to store the beer and carbonate it. I dispense it at 3lb . Growlers go flat after a day of bumping around and are a gimmick in my experience. Plastic 2 liter's don't work either. It's one of those do it right or bring cans things


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## jnich (Jan 13, 2012)

laterwagged said:


> Yea I don't want to butcher the cooler. And the Deschutes in August will be warmer than your bath water.


Depends when you go down in August, by the end of the month river is down to close to 55 degrees F. They have been pulling from the bottom of the dam to cool it for the fish runs the last couple of years. I go Labor Day every year and last year it was chilly in the water (still 90 for day time highs though).

Jeff


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## dynamiteid (Jun 20, 2013)

I took a 3 gallon corny keg on the Main Salmon last year and it worked out great. The smaller size makes it easy to haul and cool. It doesn't last long, but we held off tapping it until evening 3 when everyone was fully into river-mode. It was a fun luxury that everyone thoroughly enjoyed. We had no trouble with foam. Just chill it down before serving. This year, I am taking one on the MF Salmon and a second will be brought in for our continuation down the Main. However, this time, I am going to try something a friend showed me. It turns out a 3 gallon corny fits perfectly inside one of those round 5 gallon water jug/coolers with enough room to surround it with ice. This will help keep it chilled as well as provide a functional water jug when its done. This will free up our other coolers. Just an idea.


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## hialtitude (Apr 24, 2007)

For kegs on the river I highly recommend using a jockey box. Your ice usage will be drastically less and you have the ability to fine tune your system. Keep the kegs in drop bags and put them in the river at camp. Cheers.


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## cupido76 (May 22, 2009)

hialtitude said:


> For kegs on the river I highly recommend using a jockey box. Your ice usage will be drastically less and you have the ability to fine tune your system. Keep the kegs in drop bags and put them in the river at camp. Cheers.


That might be the coolest thing I have ever seen. :shock:


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## Schutzie (Feb 5, 2013)

Kay, look, if you really want to go this far, do it right.

Georgie White was rumored to have had a bar boat on her trips. It was (of course) a big assed pontoon, but it had a full blown bar on it, including the bar tender/guide who ran it down. It unfolded out and up, and when they were done it was a fully stocked bar, complete with ice maker and beer taps. never saw it myself, or saw pics of it, or even talked to anyone who actually attended; this was all rumor. That said, if you're going to do much more than toss a case of beer in the boat and go, you might just as well go overboard (pun intended)

Now, for you "sophisticated" types;










and for the more rambunctious types;









and even for yakkers............


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## hand8272 (May 24, 2011)

That is amazing...swim up bar. Gotta have it.



hialtitude said:


> For kegs on the river I highly recommend using a jockey box. Your ice usage will be drastically less and you have the ability to fine tune your system. Keep the kegs in drop bags and put them in the river at camp. Cheers.


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

hand8272 said:


> That is amazing...swim up bar. Gotta have it.


Yes you do... you have two weeks to put it together....


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## LAGNAF406 (Apr 17, 2012)

Here's something I just found this spring. Haven't had a chance to get one yet. The only crafty I know of that has them around here is Kettlehouse in Msla.

Neat concept. 2 1/2 gallons of brew pressurized by an internal bladder of baking soda & vinegar, no CO2 bottle needed.

http://www.partypig.com/


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## codycleve (Mar 26, 2012)

We had the party pigs on the middle fork last year.... they work well...


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## laterwagged (Sep 29, 2011)

LAGNAF406 said:


> Here's something I just found this spring. Haven't had a chance to get one yet. The only crafty I know of that has them around here is Kettlehouse in Msla.
> 
> Neat concept. 2 1/2 gallons of brew pressurized by an internal bladder of baking soda & vinegar, no CO2 bottle needed.
> 
> Party Pig Home Page


I <3 Science...and beer.


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