10 Reasons Why Jockey Boxes are Worth the Investment

Whether you’re an enthusiastic hobbyist or seasoned professional, a jockey box is, without question, a justified investment in your passion or profession. The pride people take in serving their choice beverage well matters and doing so with a jockey box shows. What follows are ten top reasons that support the value of a well-built jockey box.

1. TAPROOM QUALITY
A jockey box dispenses any kegged beverage. A professionally built jockey box delivers with the same freshness and integrity as if you were sitting at the bar, drinking in your favorite brand’s taproom. Offering anything less to your guests would be uncivilized.

2. GUEST EXPERIENCE 
This is not your guests’ first rodeo, and they don’t care if it’s yours. Consumers are more savvy and discerning than they’re ever been. “Good enough” is average, and average is boring (translate: forgettable). A jockey box not only exudes that you know and care about what you’re doing, but it also delivers on an unspoken promise to your guests that you care about them, too—earning positive reviews and ultimately repeat business.  

3. FESTIVAL SEASON 
If you’ve ever worked at festival slinging drinks, you know the feeling of looking up from your booth while getting your butt handed to you and not being able to see the end of the line—and guests staring you down. Regardless of the occasion, location, or who you’re serving, your guests want a quality product, and they expect it now. Professional jockey boxes are reliable tools built to withstand the rigors of festival season, consistently. 

4. THEY GO WHERE YOU GO 
You’ve started a catering or mobile bar service, but managing hundreds of bottles and cans is a logistical nightmare? Don’t want to haul eleventeen cases of beer to Deer Camp? You love being the Big Man on Campus at tailgates? Jockey boxes are a portable, turnkey alternative for pouring anything kegged like a pro—anywhere, anytime. 

5. UP YOUR DRINKING GAME
‘Member those amateur house parties and embarrassing kegstands? Yeah, little fuzzy here, too. Well, we’ve graduated since the days of using cheap, plastic hand-pump taps. No more party fails pouring out cup after cup of foamy, room-temperature beer. A jockey box tells your guests you’ve matured and that you really know how to party.

6. THE NEW WATER COOLER 
A jockey box is the new water cooler—a communal focal point that brings people together, enhances special occasions, and creates memorable moments. Ever see The Big Lebowski? A jockey box really ties the room together, too.

7. HOMEBREWING LEVEL: PRO
Built, or brewed rather, on the foundation of DIY, homebrewers take immense pride in experimenting and accomplishing on their own. While certainly possible to pass muster with a homemade jockey box, your beer deserves the best service and presentation. A professionally constructed jockey box is the logical complement to the satisfaction you should already have in what you’re brewing. 

8. ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT
We can agree that recycling is good for Mother Earth. But, can you imagine her appreciation if we could decrease the number of single-use bottles and cans that didn’t have to be produced in the first place? A half-barrel keg dispenses the equivalent of 165 12 oz cans or bottles. Now, multiply that by every event you host, and give yourself a high-five because every little bit helps.

9. FOR EV VER... FOR EV VER...
A jockey box’s stainless steel coils and critical components will last a lifetime with proper care and cleaning. If your cooler takes an honest lickin’, the box’s internal guts will keep on tickin’. Look for a trusted manufacturer that offers a reconditioning program on products they know they can back. Your coils, shanks, and shank plates can be salvaged and reinstalled in an equivalent brand new cooler. It’s significantly less expensive to breathe new life into a well-loved, premium jockey box than it is to throw money away on another low-budget one. 

10. THEY’RE A MONEY MAKER
If you’re a caterer, brewery, distributor, or retailer with a really nice jockey box in your arsenal, one of your really good friends is eventually going to ask to “borrow” it. Then, they’re going to keep asking. Because they know the value it brings to an event. Instead, you can make a little scratch on the side by renting it out to your favorite customers and closest friends. Then, go crash their party because you know you can trust what’s in your glass. 

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