Beer Provisioning

[Badco_67]

Hi, I'm new to the forum trying to learn as much about sailing as I can. I am really enjoying the this forum, it is very active!

I was wondering, how do you go about provisioning for a consumable that is easy to go through quickly, such as beer or wine? Bottles seem problematic regarding safety and storage, cans a little better maybe, but have limitations in finding some quality beers, boxed wine could do in a pinch (I'm have cheap taste for wine, more spend tastes in beer). I brew my own beer, which affords the option of kegging in smaller sized 5 gal kegs, would have to figure out how to connect your chiller plate to refrigeration system I guess.....

Anyway would appreciate any of your thoughts...

I've attached a couple examples of my favorite home brews below..

"RiesenStout" - my take on an Irish Stout


"Killa Kolsch" - my take on the Kolsch ales out of Koln,


Amber Ale

[S/V Alchemy]

A man after my own heart and probably liver.

Beer strikes me as problematic aboard in tins, because the modern tin is as nearly paper-thin aluminum as is possible. I've had beer cans split on a bicycle pannier; I can't imagine them surviving in a bilge unless individually cushioned. Bottles, by contrast, can be strong enough to take movement if you slip cardboard of Bristol board thickness between them, although they clearly can't take any kind of a drop, but if that happens, you may be preoccupied with other issues.

The old steel can, by contrast, would merely rust...no beer of mine ever lasted that long.

[sailorboy1]

there's plastic reusable bottles you can get for homebrewing

[Vasco]

We take a fair amount of beer with us to the Bahamas. My bilge is fairly deep so I transfer the beer into Rubbermaid tubs and stow it in the bilge. If I remember right a tub will take a couple of cases.

As far as wine goes we manage to take 5 months' supply, mostly in bottles but there are some good box wines now. And some good cheap (not an oxymoron) wines now come in boxes. We like Total Wines' Double Dog Dare. A very drinkable red. The bottles are stowed in a settee locker, all in socks or sleeves.

[Kenomac]

We load over 100 cans of beer into the bottom of the fridge. When it gets cold it helps the fridge stay cold and work less by providing a thermal mass. No glass bottles allowed at least as far as beer bottles.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

We load over 100 cans of beer into the bottom of the fridge. When it gets cold it helps the fridge stay cold and work less by providing a thermal mass. No glass bottles allowed at least as far as beer bottles.

What do you do for the second day?

[MarkJ]

Bottle or cans are fine.
Bottles sometimes wont fit as well in a fridge. But properly packed they wont roll around.

When i was brewing my beer on board I used the reusable plastic bottles. Was great!

Dont need to in the caribbean as beer is so cheap!

[Badco_67]

thanks for the feedback guys!

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Vasco

What do you do for the second day?

Reload using 30 round mags.

[Matt sachs]

An empty keg make good floatation,,,,just sayin,,,

[atoll]

over the years i have met many frugal cruisers that brew their own beer, wine and spirits.

many reuse 2 liter plastic coke bottels and stearalise with nappi san before use.

20 liter buckets with lids for making the initial fermentation.

on many of the pacific islands there are "Bush Beer Clubs",where the member all chip in for a 25kg bag of sugar,some yeast,and any fruit that is available from their gardens,this is fermented in a 44 galon drum,then drunk once of suffiscient alchoholic content!

[a64pilot]

Wine bottles will go in the right sized PVC pipe and survive most anything, I haven't had any issue with beer bottles as long as they are bought as a 12 pack and left in that box, it's when you break open the box the individual ones are fragile, so I just cut the top off of the box and put that in the fridge and the box keeps them together.

Remember the old wooden boxes that Coca Cola bottles shipped in? Bet those would work just as well for beer for your home brew.

[Astrid]

I prefer, when brewing my own, to use bottles with patent stoppers:

EZ-Cap Bottles - Brown 16 oz. : Northern Brewer

[nimblemotors]

I'd keep my beer in 5 gallon stainless steel kegs with c02,
and then just dispense into smaller reusable containers to chill before consumption. Or perhaps keep them cool in a heavily insulated locker.
Take an empty keg to shore and fill it up.

Having bottles or even cans on board just leaves you with a trash problem.

[Badco_67]

Originally Posted by nimblemotors

I'd keep my beer in 5 gallon stainless steel kegs with c02,
and then just dispense into smaller reusable containers to chill before consumption. Or perhaps keep them cool in a heavily insulated locker.
Take an empty keg to shore and fill it up.

Having bottles or even cans on board just leaves you with a trash problem.

Jack have you ever thought of rigging up the chill plate (evaporator) from a kegg dispensing system to a refrigeration system?