Keeping beer cool

[Liszt]

This year we are without our normal support vehicle with it's fridge for cooling beer and food .
We used to use cool boxes, but after a few days the beer was warm and the meat dangerous .
What are the prefered methods of cooling the essentials, apart from the obvious cool box and fresh ice from the supermarket?
Is a gas powered fridge a worthwile investment and if so from where/ which model

[GeeBee]

Depends on what you want and how many in the party. I picked up a second hand Camping Gaz fridge a couple of years ago and never looked back. It doesn't work any more on 240v and is crap on 12v but is brilliant on gas and really chills the beer down. It will take two cases of Eurofizz (without food, which is optional anyway) so is OK for smaller groups (1?).

I wonder if I could plumb it into the motors LPG system....mmm, pass the stanley knife!

Regards,

GeeBee

[IanB]

Maplins elctronic are selling a dual voltage fridge takes 16 cans for 39 quid

[DelBoy]

If you prefer to buy new, wait till you get to France - I bought the 240/12V +lpg camping gaz one for half the price of (virtually) the same thing in the UK.  If you can, stop off North of LM, they were £10 cheaper in Alencon than in LM.

They are also useful on the patio at BBQ's etc - saves having to keep getting up to go to the fridge for a cold one!

[Liszt]

Are these readily available from the big supermarchés or do I need a specialist shop?

[DelBoy]

Got mine at L'Eclerc, but I saw them at all the big Hypermarkets, although they had sold out by mid-week at the LM Carrefor.  Cost was about £150, but this was before the Euro hike.

DB

[wishy]

If you want a multifunction fridge,try going to your local caravan dealer and ask if they are breaking any old tourers or statics.That is how I got mine .From memory it cost £25 quidor so.
Also if you find it does not work at first.Turn it upside down for an hour,turn it back over and run again.They are silent running (i,e no compressor).they run on ammonia,and sometimes it crystalizes and wont liquify properly when heated.So upendening it loosens the crystalsand hopefully "Bob's ur uncle".


Andy

[Ruptured Duck Motorsport]

Poor mans solution:

Dig a pit, line it with a binbag or two, fill it with water, make a lid for the hole coated in tin foil and "voila" as they say at the ACO, a perfect hole to break you ankle in one fine evening  

[Andy Z]

What you want old son is what we scientists call the "latent heat of evapouration". It's got nothing to do with being secretly bent, and everything to do with keeping your beer at a drinkable temp. We tried this method last year on a barrel of home made Old English ale that one of our idiots brought along. This method  works on the same principle as to why it is so f**k*ng cold when you get out of the sea on a red hot day.

Here's what to do. Get your wine or beer barrel/cans/bottles, stack them up and cover them in a couple of towels. Stand them right in the sun. Yes, as hot as it gets. Immediately soak the towel in water. Our barrel was stood on a BBQ base to assist air flow. The lovely sun evapourates the water creating a cooling effect, the stronger the sun, the colder the beer. NB Keep the towel wet at all times.

Our Old English ale was beautifully chilled to a very drinkable temperature, not quite ice cold but just right for real ale. However, it still tasted like the waste residue from the Marmite factory and not surprisingly, gave us foul hangovers and diarrhoea.

Andy Z

[Liszt]

Know all about the cooling effects of the wet towel/sacks.   The only problem is when we go down to the track (bad form I know) we'd take our cold beer with us and replenish the fridge therefore having cold beer upon our return.  However, I get the feeling if we left a few dozen bottles of beer in an open space in the sun, I don't think they'd be there when we get back.

[Ruptured Duck Motorsport]

Andy

You are a genius sir, and should be Knighted or at the least given an OBE for services to beer.

[Darren]

We have found the purchase of a large dustbin, filled with cold water does the trick, the pool can also be used but has led to damaged flip flops and speedo's.  Also beer tops are not good for the bottom of the pool and can lead to water damage to those camping below us.

The big mother of a cool box can also be used to good effect and becomes mobile with the use of a set of wheels pinched from my father that was used to carry his fishing box around.

The best bet is to buy a dustbin and fill with water, with 22 in our team such volume is required to ensure we do not die of thirst.

Darren

[Rusty]

Our fridges get emptied so bloody quickly that the beer isn't in there long enough to get that cold apart from overnight when everyone has passed out. Well, at least there is plenty of cold for bekkers and cleaning your teeth. I tried  the dustbin thing last year, it worked a treat. You can get so much beer in there that even our bunch of drunken bastards can't drink the thing dry before the reload is cold.
That was until Elvis crashed into it and reduced it's capacity by half anyway.
It was also useful for extinguishing the fire that Hinch's Bimota had after he got a bit too enthusiastic backfiring it and the fairing went up in flames, what a mess.
Rusty

[Darren]

The Dustbin has it, guaranteed to quench both the first of a Bretheren and the fire of a bike thingy (car person talk)................

The Bin As Approved Is The Ultimate Beer Cooler....

[Darren]

Note that should be "Thirst" sorry Friday Lunch..............