Like most homebrewers, it took a few years to transition from extract to all grain and from bottles to cornies. Cornelius kegs were cooled in a modified chest freezer until moisture buildup rusted the evaporator coils. After 6 short years, my cooler was junk.

A few months later, we acquired my Cocker Spaniel “Chaser” who loves to walk me about two miles each day. During an extended evening adventure, a large Pepsi sign was noticed outside a commercial laundry and we crossed the road to investigate. It was a very dirty two door Beverage Air cooler waiting for the recycling truck. Upon closer inspection, the old cooler had a newer compressor.

The next evening, returning with paper, tape measure, brewery door sizes and wild ideas, I determined the cooler would fit through our walk-out basement door and into the brewery. I also discovered that my wife had gone to school with the shop manager.

The next day, our negotiations were simple; I offered to haul away their junk for free. Lacking a pickup truck, I was unsure how to accomplish this task but “in the true spirit of homebrewing,” knew that this cooler was moving.

On Wednesday afternoon, rush hour traffic was slightly inconvenienced as a 1967 Wheel Horse lawn tractor and miniature tilt-bed trailer embarked on a 3-mile cooler retrieval mission. The rig, top speed of 6.5 mph, arrived safely at the scene. After loading the cooler and cinching it down, the slow moving convoy pointed home. The trailer lifted the 7-foot cooler about a foot so you can imagine this narrow Pepsi sign mixing with rush-hour traffic. The 3-mile trip took about 90 minutes. Some creative driving skills (e.g., drive on the center line) ” were used to facilitate two left turns. You can take liberties when driving slow moving vehicles equipped with red reflective triangles.

After arriving in the garage, it was temporarily energized and made some noise and cold air. After a thorough cleaning, the shelves were discarded and the doors were temporarily removed. Condensate lines were replaced and the unit was re-wired so the evaporator fans only operate when the compressor cycles. High quality spray paint changed the cabinet color from black to white.

Having cold beer is great but you need to dispense it correctly. From the mess in the old chest freezer, I knew that picnic taps and open doors were out. My Christmas present was a set of 6 valve forward faucets and stainless steel shanks. Silicone caulk sealed the insulation to prevent moisture collection. Each shank was fed with a six-foot length of 3/16-inch tubing. A gas valve manifold with check valves was reused from the old chest cooler. All that remained was to move the 350-pound monster into the modest 11 x 13-foot brewery.

One of my inquisitive friends with an abundant share of dry wit mentioned, “If you ever need help, I am more than willing” but before he was able to finish, I asked, “What are you doing next Saturday?”

The move was easy. We loaded the cooler onto the trailer and drove it to the basement door. We lowered the unit onto two 4-wheel moving dollies and rolled it into the basement brewery. A sharp corner at the base of the stairwell was negotiated with the lifting ability of a motorcycle jack stand, allowing the big box to clear three stairs. After righting the box into the brewery, Paul asked, “What do you do, stay awake nights dreaming up crazy projects like this?”

The cooler included a functional fluorescent ballast so brewery signage was required. The font was discovered in a computer, enlarged on a copier and transferred to cheap pine board. Letters were hand carved about half way through the pine and the cavities filled with casting resin. The name, “Garden View Brewing” describes my view through the brewery windows of my wife’s rose garden.

The cooler is now fully functional and can hold 30 cornies plus a 5-pound CO2 tank. Liquid temperature stays close to 38 °F (3 ºC). Although it is a few degrees too warm, it lagers very nicely. The cooler usually cycles on each hour for about 5 minutes.

Most beers are brewed towards the middle of style guidelines but on occasion, I have been known to brew with heavy handed hops. My favorites include traditional beers like Pilsners, German wheat, Kölsch, IPA, Irish red, pale ales, Scotch ale, porter and dry stouts. I truly enjoy being able to refrigerate all the beer I brew in an actual refrigerator!