Beer Forum

Hey BN!

First off I have zero experience brewing, but I love beer (IPAs, Porters, Sours) and recently found myself looking for something to keep busy and it led to this site.

It all started a few days when a friend gave me a cooler after helping her move. Being the frat thing to do I decided I was going to strip the cooler, sand it, and paint it. I didn't want to have a cooler like everyone else so I started doing some research, which led to my discovery of Jockey Boxes. Wanting something to hold my beer and keep it cold was cool, but something that can dispense it as well, even better right? After some later research I discovered they in fact do not hold beer, rather dispense it at a nice cold temperature. Since I already spent the money and have the cooler ready for paint I decided to just move forward with the situation and make this the start of my beerjourney.

At this point I plan to finish up the Jockey Box and get any remaining regulators, co2, hoses, etc so that I can finish that project. In the mean time I plan to do dabble in all the wonderful information here about brewing, and maybe even order a starter kit.

Looking forward to joining the community

Welcome-

Yes, you are right, Jockey Boxes only hold cooling coils for the beer to pass through and cool down on their way from keg to glass.

There is a wealth of knowledge here so ask away. We can help you with any question regarding brewing and dispensing beer (and other fermentables such as cider and mead).

Welcome to the obsession! I highly recommend hooking up with a local homebrew club. You should be able to observe/help out someone on a brew day and see exactly what is involved. No two folks brew the same way, but they all end up with beer. Just pay good attention to the basic process that is happening regardless of the equipment setup.

Be sure to get a copy of John Palmer's book "How to Brew" or at least check out the online first edition of his book (free to read) at http://howtobrew.com/ . If you have any questions, be sure to ask here on the forum. Lot's of great brewers around to give you advice.

Haven't been up to much since my first post except reading. I managed to get my hands on an old Mr. Beer kit for free but have yet to try it out. I am moving into a new place on the 24th and waiting till then to get started, for transportation reasons. I found a local brewing supply store where I am moving, so I am going to try that place out. I am pretty sure my campus has a brew club, which Ill look into as well as ones around me.

I finished my jockey box, but have yet to use it. Been looking around to find the cheapest, yet most efficient route, for the tap and co2 parts.

mbonanni wrote:Haven't been up to much since my first post except reading. I managed to get my hands on an old Mr. Beer kit for free but have yet to try it out. I am moving into a new place on the 24th and waiting till then to get started, for transportation reasons. I found a local brewing supply store where I am moving, so I am going to try that place out. I am pretty sure my campus has a brew club, which Ill look into as well as ones around me.

I finished my jockey box, but have yet to use it. Been looking around to find the cheapest, yet most efficient route, for the tap and co2 parts.

When you check out the LHBS, make sure to introduce yourself. You might be pleasantly surprised to find out that they might have scheduled "how to brew" sessions offered right there. I know my local guy has a deal with first time customers - if you buy a beer kit, he will brew it with you right there in the shop and show you what to do. How cool is that?