Anyone Using a Beer / Beverage Dispenser With Cooling Plate

[Fuss]

I wondered if anyone has one of these installed on their boat.
A small version of the ones in the pub. They are only slightly bigger than a sodastream or soda club.
They seem to make sense in some senarios.

For example, if you liveaboard and brew your own beer or have a sodastream.
These things are like a sodastream, but with cooling and only slightly bigger.

They have the potential to do away with all the cans and bottles that often need to be squashed and removed.
They seem to take up around about the same amount of space.

If, as some people with 2 fridges do, you nearly dedicate one fridge to drinks, then this has the potential to save you energy as well as they only cool what you are about to drink.

The problems I see are buying beer in bulk....
You can get one way disposable kegs that squash flat, they are called keykegs.
The beer industry seems to charge the most for beer in kegs and the least for beer in cans .
The upsides are substanially less rubbish to remove each week/month/year.

Uses much less power than a fridge and gives you soda water and fresh cold beer.

[bobconnie]

LOL Sometimes Im really happy that Ive never cared for the taste of beer !! sure makes for more room for other stuff LOL

[Fuss]

Originally Posted by bobconnie

LOL Sometimes Im really happy that Ive never cared for the taste of beer !! sure makes for more room for other stuff LOL

But its not just beer. Its all the cans of softdrink and other cans and plastic bottles and glass bottles.

If you provision and bring any of these items on board then maybe this helps.

[Roy M]

That, some hooks in the water, and a big barbecue grill, and you've got yourself a potential cruising business.

[bobconnie]

I thought even a new sailer would find in short order that bottles of any kind (except rum) are something that don't belong aboard any boat !! We learned right away that Water was inportant, and started carring more of that and some simple lemonade mix and things of that sort ! The kids got used to that and never really aquired a taste for colas and stuff like that !! for long range ya need room for the stuff that will keep ya healthy !! just our 2 cents thats come from a long time doing it in a semi small boat !!

[jimmy mckinley]

Hi,we installed a keg system over 3 years ago and have never looked back.Brewcraft have a compact keg that holds the 20 ltrs.It is run thru a cold plate in our fridge and with the set up we perchased is embibed thru the attractive beer tap installed in the side of the fridge.To gas the beer to optimum perfection we discovered adding carbonated drops to the finished beer when transfering from barrel to keg/ then gasing with your co2 cylinder you will have better that the brought stuff.We love it and would never go back. The Sodastream machine only comes out when the rum is brought out.

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by Fuss

The beer industry seems to charge the most for beer in kegs and the least for beer in cans.

Seriously? Don't know where you're buying your kegs, but here in the U.S. I can buy kegged beer for less than half the price of the equivalent amount of beer in bottles or cans.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by jimmy mckinley

Hi,we installed a keg system over 3 years ago and have never looked back....

Uh oh, I see another boat project in my future. I brew beer ashore so this subject is near and dear to my heart.

I captain a Lagoon 50 in charter sometimes, which has every imaginable system and toy you can think of, including a two tap keg-erator system!

[Fuss]

Originally Posted by denverd0n

Seriously? Don't know where you're buying your kegs, but here in the U.S. I can buy kegged beer for less than half the price of the equivalent amount of beer in bottles or cans.

Ah, thats good to know, sounds very fair and looks even more positive once away from Europe

Well I cant speak for all Europe but here in Germany ... and this is a bit of a generalisation but reasonably accurate.
Beer costs about 1.50 Euro for each liter.
It costs about 1.50 whether you by it in a 330ml bottle/can a 500ml bottle/can or a 6 pack, or in a 24 pack or in a 5 liter party keg or in a 20 liter keg or a 30 litre keg. Actually when you by it in a 30 liter keg , they make out that you are getting something even more special and so might even cost 1.70 Euro for each liter. (this goes for the 5 liter party kegs as well.)

I fin d that all a bit silly.
I am currently investigating whether I can get a friendly pub to give me a keg for the price they pay, which I suspect is alot less.

[harold67wm]

3 Fully functional 12 function "bar guns" plumbed in, and a kegerator on board. 1 of the "Bar guns" have all my "Mixers" on and the others are all Alcohol... Keeps bottles and stuff out of the way... those along with my ice maker keeps everyone happy