Many craft brewing operations are small businesses that brew and deliver in their surrounding communities. To promote themselves, they often will take part in local music festivals, street fairs and other live events that draw festive crowds. They quickly find themselves in the dilemma of requiring a dual-purpose vehicle—one to make their regular deliveries and one to promote their brewery at live events, Isuzu says.
To showcase how a craft brewer can maximize their investment in their delivery truck, Isuzu, Supreme and Delivery Concepts developed a craft beer truck built with the quality and durability to make deliveries, and which can also be used at live events for promoting the product.
The chassis is an Isuzu NRR with a 150-in. wheelbase and a 19,500-lb. GVWR to accommodate heavier payloads. The Isuzu low cab forward design features a 49.5-degree wheel-cut angle for maneuverability, enabling drivers to make deliveries and set up displays in tight quarters that cannot be negotiated by conventional cab trucks. Isuzu says outstanding visibility allows drivers to see the ground within eight feet of the front of the truck, and an 85-degree door-swing angle means entry and exit are easy for deliveries and set-up that are faster and more efficient.
The NRR is powered by Isuzu’s 5.2-liter turbocharged diesel engine, which generates 215 horsepower and 452 lb.-ft. of torque. And its B10 durability rating of 375,000 miles is evidence of the engine’s long-term dependability, the company says.
“The combination of economy, power, maneuverability and low cost of ownership made choosing the NRR as the basis for our new craft beer truck a no-brainer,” says Steve Napolitano, co-founder and president, Bottle Logic.
Isuzu says after reviewing Bottle Logic’s operations, Isuzu, Supreme and Delivery Concepts created a body equipped with:
- A 16-ft. Supreme Kold King insulated body that is cooled with a Thermo King 680R with electric standby. This setup will provide ample space for kegs and crates while keeping the product refrigerated. The electric standby gives brewers more flexibility in loading the truck in the evening for the next morning’s delivery, all while keeping the product cooled.
- A 2,500-lb. Maxon TE25L tuck-away liftgate with side steps to help ease loading and unloading during delivery. E-track has been mounted on the interior of the body at a special height to secure kegs during transit.
- Two 24-in. x 24-in. toolboxes (one on each side) store tables, chairs and event material. A 15-ft. overhead retractable awning provides shade for servers and customers.
- The driver’s side of the body has an 8-tap beer station integrated into the side with a 10-gallon overflow tank and a special mounting on the body’s interior for the CO2 manifold. Covering the taps on the exterior, is a locking door that swings up to serve as a menu board. LED lights illuminate the taps to provide a clean, high-tech appearance.
This truck will be showcased at the 2019 Craft Brewers Conference in Denver, April 8-11, 2019, and will go into service with Bottle Logic following the show.
