I've been told that the coils of a jockey box should already have beer pushed through them/in them before adding ice and water to the cooler, to prevent freezing any residual water in the lines. So what about when a keg kicks? Is there a potential problem with the residual 'kick' foam in the line freezing up before the next keg can be swapped in? TIA!
I can't imagine there is much danger, it won't be idle that long at a typical jockey box type function or you would have pissed off guests.
I don't think beer freezes until it gets down to 28f...???Jockey box isn't getting below 32f with ice and water.
Right. Beer freezing point is somewhere below 32F (depends on ABV). But foam is another thing, and I don't know its freezing point once its components are out of solution. Thus my question. That's what I'm hoping. Hopefully someone with some experience replacing kegs at festivals (or whatever) knows for sure.
correct. you will freeze your beer dead stop if you add ice before beer. everyone learns this, once. I have never had a problem with the coils seizing upon kicking a keg. I will go through 4 to 8 kegs a year on the jockey box. just blow out the foam, tap a new keg and go. jockey boxes are quick and easy if anything. I don't think it is a concern. Even after having a line kick (our box has two faucets) and leaving it overnight and iced, the coil still blows foam and can be rinsed the next day. Cheers.
Beer foam is just liquid beer with trapped pockets of CO2; it's all still the same solution. I'd assume the freezing issue comes into play when you're both cooling the liquid near its freezing temperature and also rapidly expanding the foam, which further reduces its temperature?
It's really not. It contains compounds from the beer, but it's not homogenous with the beer. Thus my question.
Nailed it. The fourth edition of our September beer festival featured 70+ breweries and over 125 jboxes. Not one single issue related to freezing once primed with beer.
What mechanism is driving the supposed phase separation between liquid and foam? Are we seeing something akin to cloud point separation for foam-stabilizing proteins?
