How To Install a Cold Draft Beer (and keep the water) System
- BellePlaine
- IAC Addict!
- Location: Minnesota
- Status: Offline
How To Install a Cold Draft Beer (and keep the water) System
I’m to the point now with my 1975 Riviera with a late (1976) Westfalia interior that I’m ready to dream up projects that are not of the utmost urgency to the drivability of the vehicle. Of course, there are always systems to be maintained, but I’m ready to have some real modification fun. This summer I tackled such a project and installed a homebrewed beer draft system. It’s the perfect marriage of my two favorite hobbies: Volkswagens and brewing homebrew.
Given that this is a family vacation get-away vehicle and I didn’t really want to have to explain myself to non-approving critics, it was a major goal of mine to make the draft system as inconspicuous as possible.
In fact here it is:
I can serve both water and cold homebrewed beer out of the stock Westy sink faucet.
It’s done by using a 3-way ball valve at the faucet so if the handle is turned CCW, beer will flow. If the handle is turned CW, water flows. There is one fairly short common line going from the ball valve to the faucet and it just takes a second to clear.
See; that’s an Imperial Stout brewed with cold-press coffee and cocoa chocolate nibs:
I’ve widened the spare-tire cabinet by a couple of inches which allowed me to fit two 5-gallon stainless steel Cornelius kegs. These “Corny” kegs used to be used by the soda industry but homebrewers have adopted them as the vessel of choice for kegging purposes. One of the two kegs is for water and the other is for homebrew. I’ve removed the stock 7-gallon water tank.
A beverage tube, or line, goes from the water keg directly to the 3-way ball valve/faucet. Another beverage line, which I’ve insulated, goes from the beer keg and runs along behind the sink cabinet and then into the icebox. In the icebox it runs through 50-feet of stainless steel coil which is cold from ice and then through an insulated line to the 3-way ball valve/faucet.
The liquid is pushed pneumatically, that is to say via pressure. I’ve installed a keg pump which fits just perfectly through the hole where the water-fill tube used to be in the original water system. The keg pump provides air to the water tank, and to a gas distributor which I’ve reversed to allow air or CO2 to push the beer. Beer prefers and inert gas such as C02 otherwise it gets stale quickly. The C02 comes from a hand-held dispenser with a fitting attached to a gas line. It uses those small BB-gun cartages. So I’ve engineered the beer keg to get either CO2 or air in case I use all of the CO2 cartages while camping but might still have time and beer to kill.
Here is what it looks like inside:
Underneath the sink, the 3-way ball valve:
Above the sink, the handle and faucet:
The spare tire cabinet/keg disconnects:
The icebox/stainless steel coil.
The water/beer keg air pump, and yes, that IS a Bay Window shifter knob:
The beer CO2 dispenser:
The beer CO2/Air distributor:
The system is great and discreet but wasn’t perfect. Getting a beer meant opening the slider door each time and disturbing my sleeping children. So I had a stainless steel box fabricated to fit nicely in the sink drain vent hole on the outside of the bus. Inside that box I had Corny keg threads welded so I could attach beer-out and CO2-in fittings which allows me to snap on a beer tapper and gas.
Here are some pics of the box:
The schematic on the whole system:
Most of the stuff needed for this modification can be bought at your well-stocked homebrew supply shop. The 3-way ball valve I found at McMaster Carr. And the stainless steel box I had fabricated by a friend using Corny keg threads salvaged from a destroyed keg.
I hope that you found my homebrew draft system to be well thought out. Cheers!
Given that this is a family vacation get-away vehicle and I didn’t really want to have to explain myself to non-approving critics, it was a major goal of mine to make the draft system as inconspicuous as possible.
In fact here it is:
I can serve both water and cold homebrewed beer out of the stock Westy sink faucet.
It’s done by using a 3-way ball valve at the faucet so if the handle is turned CCW, beer will flow. If the handle is turned CW, water flows. There is one fairly short common line going from the ball valve to the faucet and it just takes a second to clear.
See; that’s an Imperial Stout brewed with cold-press coffee and cocoa chocolate nibs:
I’ve widened the spare-tire cabinet by a couple of inches which allowed me to fit two 5-gallon stainless steel Cornelius kegs. These “Corny” kegs used to be used by the soda industry but homebrewers have adopted them as the vessel of choice for kegging purposes. One of the two kegs is for water and the other is for homebrew. I’ve removed the stock 7-gallon water tank.
A beverage tube, or line, goes from the water keg directly to the 3-way ball valve/faucet. Another beverage line, which I’ve insulated, goes from the beer keg and runs along behind the sink cabinet and then into the icebox. In the icebox it runs through 50-feet of stainless steel coil which is cold from ice and then through an insulated line to the 3-way ball valve/faucet.
The liquid is pushed pneumatically, that is to say via pressure. I’ve installed a keg pump which fits just perfectly through the hole where the water-fill tube used to be in the original water system. The keg pump provides air to the water tank, and to a gas distributor which I’ve reversed to allow air or CO2 to push the beer. Beer prefers and inert gas such as C02 otherwise it gets stale quickly. The C02 comes from a hand-held dispenser with a fitting attached to a gas line. It uses those small BB-gun cartages. So I’ve engineered the beer keg to get either CO2 or air in case I use all of the CO2 cartages while camping but might still have time and beer to kill.
Here is what it looks like inside:
Underneath the sink, the 3-way ball valve:
Above the sink, the handle and faucet:
The spare tire cabinet/keg disconnects:
The icebox/stainless steel coil.
The water/beer keg air pump, and yes, that IS a Bay Window shifter knob:
The beer CO2 dispenser:
The beer CO2/Air distributor:
The system is great and discreet but wasn’t perfect. Getting a beer meant opening the slider door each time and disturbing my sleeping children. So I had a stainless steel box fabricated to fit nicely in the sink drain vent hole on the outside of the bus. Inside that box I had Corny keg threads welded so I could attach beer-out and CO2-in fittings which allows me to snap on a beer tapper and gas.
Here are some pics of the box:
The schematic on the whole system:
Most of the stuff needed for this modification can be bought at your well-stocked homebrew supply shop. The 3-way ball valve I found at McMaster Carr. And the stainless steel box I had fabricated by a friend using Corny keg threads salvaged from a destroyed keg.
I hope that you found my homebrew draft system to be well thought out. Cheers!
1975 Riviera we call "Spider-Man"
- sailorkh
- Addicted!
- Location: Alameda, Ca
- Status: Offline
Re: How To Install a Cold Draft Beer (and keep the water) Sy
Very cool. Your going to be very popular at campouts!
Kris
1971 Deluxe "Ole blue"
1978 Westfalia "Gretchen"
1966 Cal40 "Viva"
1971 Deluxe "Ole blue"
1978 Westfalia "Gretchen"
1966 Cal40 "Viva"
- Amskeptic
- IAC "Help Desk"
- Status: Offline
Re: How To Install a Cold Draft Beer (and keep the water) Sy
That is friggen crazy-beautiful.
Colin
(gearshift knob . . . . the perfect touch)
Colin
(gearshift knob . . . . the perfect touch)
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles
- zabo
- Old School!
- Location: earth
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- Kubelwagen
- Addicted!
- Location: Portland, OR
- Status: Offline
Re: How To Install a Cold Draft Beer (and keep the water) Sy
I'll save you the spot right next to me at Maupin next year! Come on out!
Great job - that's really cool.
M
Great job - that's really cool.
M
Patience the 81 Adventurewagen
-
- Addicted!
- Location: Quartz Hill, CA
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Re: How To Install a Cold Draft Beer (and keep the water) Sy
Go Go Gadget Beer!! I love it!! Nice touch keeping it specific with the correct shifter.
1968 Karmann Ghia - Driver
1969 Transporter - Project
1959 Karmann Ghia - Full Race Car
1969 Transporter - Project
1959 Karmann Ghia - Full Race Car
- Ryno
- IAC Contributor
- Location: Lake Geneva, WI
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- drober23
- Addicted!
- Location: Metro Detroit
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Re: How To Install a Cold Draft Beer (and keep the water) Sy
Very nice!
Some buddies of mine attempted this concept without the bus. We were at a 10-day primitive camping event and they wanted cold beer on demand. They had the keg, the ice bath with the coil of tube to cool the beer on the way out, and the CO2 bits.
I shared this with them, and they were very impressed. The problem is, they want one on MY bus now.
Some buddies of mine attempted this concept without the bus. We were at a 10-day primitive camping event and they wanted cold beer on demand. They had the keg, the ice bath with the coil of tube to cool the beer on the way out, and the CO2 bits.
I shared this with them, and they were very impressed. The problem is, they want one on MY bus now.
DJ
'75 Westfalia, '79 Deluxe
(plus more busses than sense)
In a time of chimpanzees I was a monkey
'75 Westfalia, '79 Deluxe
(plus more busses than sense)
In a time of chimpanzees I was a monkey
- jonyem
- Getting Hooked!
- Location: Sequim, Washington
- Status: Offline
Re: How To Install a Cold Draft Beer (and keep the water) Sy
So when can I send in a deposit for your Itinerant tour?
Excellent job, and great write up. Kinda changes my feelings concerning the sink/cool box unit in my '73 Riviera.
Excellent job, and great write up. Kinda changes my feelings concerning the sink/cool box unit in my '73 Riviera.
Late 1973 ASI/Riviera conversion.
- BellePlaine
- IAC Addict!
- Location: Minnesota
- Status: Offline
Re: How To Install a Cold Draft Beer (and keep the water) Sy
Thanks for the comments everyone.
I’ll admit that I’m very proud of the gear-shift knob on the keg pump. I took a coupling that fit the receiving rod’s threads and epoxied it into the inside of the knob.
I would love to show my bus off (and meet everyone) at Maupin someday. To conserve vacation time, I’ve considered shipping the bus to Portland and driving it back. Maybe next year…
I’ll admit that I’m very proud of the gear-shift knob on the keg pump. I took a coupling that fit the receiving rod’s threads and epoxied it into the inside of the knob.
I would love to show my bus off (and meet everyone) at Maupin someday. To conserve vacation time, I’ve considered shipping the bus to Portland and driving it back. Maybe next year…
1975 Riviera we call "Spider-Man"
- sped372
- IAC Addict!
- Location: Waunakee, WI
- Status: Offline
Re: How To Install a Cold Draft Beer (and keep the water) Sy
I love it! Hope to see it in person someday.
1971 Karmann Ghia - 1600 DP
1984 Westfalia - 1.9 WBX
1984 Westfalia - 1.9 WBX
- tristessa
- Trusted Air-Cooled Maniac
- Location: Uwish Uknew, Oregon
- Status: Offline
Re: How To Install a Cold Draft Beer (and keep the water) Sy
It's only ~30 hours/1700miles if you drive straight through .. drive in shifts with your co-pilot.BellePlaine wrote:I would love to show my bus off (and meet everyone) at Maupin someday. To conserve vacation time, I’ve considered shipping the bus to Portland and driving it back. Maybe next year…
(I'm not actually suggesting this .. probably)
Remember, only YOU can prevent narcissism!
- Bleyseng
- IAC Addict!
- Location: Seattle again
- Contact:
- Status: Offline
Re: How To Install a Cold Draft Beer (and keep the water) Sy
Maupin next year!!! Its only 30 hrs!!! =D>
Now if only Beans would come back.....missed his coffee.
Now if only Beans would come back.....missed his coffee.
Geoff
77 Sage Green Westy- CS 2.0L-160,000 miles
70 Ghia vert, black, stock 1600SP,- 139,000 miles,
76 914 2.1L-Nepal Orange- 160,000+ miles
http://bleysengaway.blogspot.com/
77 Sage Green Westy- CS 2.0L-160,000 miles
70 Ghia vert, black, stock 1600SP,- 139,000 miles,
76 914 2.1L-Nepal Orange- 160,000+ miles
http://bleysengaway.blogspot.com/
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- Old School!
- Location: Little Rock, AR
- Status: Offline
Re: How To Install a Cold Draft Beer (and keep the water) Sy
You have offended the gods of DESIRES. Now the gods want one too!!! :)
1981 Volkswagen Vanagon Westfalia - air-cooled Type4 1970cc CV (hydraulic lifters, 42x36 valves, stock cam, microSquirt FI with wasted spark ignition)
1993 Ford F-250 XL LWB Extended Cab 7.3L IDI
1993 Ford F-250 XL LWB Extended Cab 7.3L IDI
- locoqueso
- Addicted!
- Location: Grayslake, IL 60030
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Re: How To Install a Cold Draft Beer (and keep the water) Sy
Pure genius! You are my new hero.
1978 VW Campmobile (P-21) Westfalia - T2 2.0L F.I.- 151,000m
1982 Mercedes-Benz Estate Wagon (300TD-T) - S123 3.0L T.D. - 142,000m
1993 Dodge Maxi Van (190 SLF) InterVec Falcon - B350 Magnum 5.9L F.I. - 70,000m
1982 Mercedes-Benz Estate Wagon (300TD-T) - S123 3.0L T.D. - 142,000m
1993 Dodge Maxi Van (190 SLF) InterVec Falcon - B350 Magnum 5.9L F.I. - 70,000m