Beer and pickup trucks are two defining traits of the American male. There's something very American about driving a pickup truck and enjoying an ice-cold brew (of course not at the same time!). You can one-up your patriotism by driving that same truck to the ballpark for a beer and dog. Whatever the occasion, drinking beer out performs apple pie on the patriotic scale any day.
This is no more evident than at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, held each year in Las Vegas, NV, where men from around the country (and in fact, the world) gather to talk shop and drink beer.
Astro Manufacturing in Garnett, KS, manufacturer of fiberglass truck caps, picked up on this and built a show vehicle sure to stop any truck-lovin', beer-drinkin' male in their tracks.
When Astro staffers got the crazy idea to build a truck with flowing brew (no doubt the beer was already flowing) they pitched local microbrewer Boulevard Brewing for advice on how to build a rolling beer garden. All the brewery needed to do in exchange for all of the promotional value was kick down kegs of beer whenever needed. The brewer jumped on the idea.
Upon delivery of the 2002 Ford Ranger four-door, Astro arranged for S&K Car Stereo in Olathe, KS to get the project under way, complete with audio/video system and chilled draught beer, please.
Audio on Tap Installers Ian Black and Shawn Markley began by stripping the interior down and treating the doors to Cascade VB-1 damping material to reduce road noise and vibration. StreetWires power and signal wire was routed and the hardware began to pour in.
The factory radio was eighty-sixed like the town drunk and an Icon DV-7 motorized 7-inch widescreen monitor/controller was installed using Metra's 99-5802 installation kit. The DV-7 is an audio/video controller with no CD slot. Instead, an Icon U10DVDC 10-disc changer was placed in the armrest for CD and DVD playback. Icon's DA-230i tuner module is the brain of the system, processing user input from the DV-7.
Making way for a fiberglass ensemble of mobile audio and beer pressure, the rear passenger seat was removed and replaced by a tub containing two MTX amplifiers, two 12" MTX woofers and one CO2 container to pump up the kegs. While the CO2 container pressurizes up the kegs, MTX Thunder amplifiers pressurize the cab. The five-channel MTX Thunder 4405 drives two MTX Thunder 6000 12" woofers, as well as two pair of MTX 5732 5"x7" coaxials in the factory door locations. Woofers flank a custom-painted CO2 bottle. No, it isn't a nitrous oxide bottle that feeds the cylinder head, it's a carbon dioxide bottle that feeds your head.
Ian sent the fiberglass tub and CO2 bottle over to Scott Brown in Odessa, MO for paint to match the original Ford yellow exterior color. A centerpiece concealing the amplifier wiring was accented red, matching the truck's exterior graphics, also painted by Brown. With the red access panel removed, the amplifiers and Icon DA-230i tuner module can be easily serviced.
When S&K took delivery of the truck it was already set with a fiberglass tub to chill the kegs. Astro custom-built the tub after first cutting the bottom of the truck bed out. Now it was up to Ian and his crew to build in some entertainment for the bar.
Lift the Astro tonneau cover to reveal not only the beautiful, chilled torpedo kegs, but also a second display of mobile audio and video. Linked off the same Icon video tuner and DVD player, a 9-inch flip-down Icon F90WIR monitor was installed on the bottom side of the tonneau cover. Just like in a real bar with a mirror reflecting the faces of your drinking buddies, Ian fastened a mirror towards the front of the cover reflecting the faces of an MTX 12" woofer and 6.5" component set. Ian built this tub in the same way as the cab-installed piece, creating first a wooden frame and then finishing it with fiberglass. Once sanded smooth, Scott Brown applied the factory Ford yellow paint.
To prevent the rear system from playing unnecessarily, say when traveling from ball game to bar, Ian built a simple switching system that allows the user to operate interior and exterior systems together or independently of one another. During down time, an Avital 3200 security system keeps the truck from wandering off and protects the precious cargo that is beer.
Sending out props to the A/V sponsors of the project, the bottom of the tonneau was finished with a kiosk wrapped in a large trim panel, also trimming out the monitor, covered in gray vinyl.
So stand in line for a free pint of Boulevard beer the next time you spot this vehicle at a mid-west happening. Grab a beef frank, enjoy the music and ice-cold beer, and realize that this is what being an American is all about.
BEER TO GO Today's over-stimulated consumer isn't easily impressed by lofty claims and catchy jingles. It takes something unique, something catchy, something free to get their attention. Astro Manufacturing is in the business of selling fiberglass truck bed caps, a competitive business with a rather uninteresting angle. Let's face it: tonneau covers and camper shells aren't the most exciting products, no matter how you look at them. Ah, but add beer to the picture and things get a little more interesting. Make that beer free and you've just made a lot of new friends. So when Astro set out to build a new demo vehicle the company wanted it to flow with entertainment. OK, Astro wanted it to flow with beer.
Based in Garnett, KS, Astro got the attention of local brewer Boulevard Brewing by proposing a simple arrangement; we supply the vehicle, complete with custom running gear and mobile entertainment system, and you provide the beer. The gracious brewer happily accepted and even designed the mobile kegerator, spilling out three unique brews, all specialty Boulevard beers. Turns out it couldn't have been a better partnership. Beer drinkers love trucks and truck drivers love beer. When Astro takes this demo vehicle to truck shows, it instantly earns the respect of show goers by saying, "Hey, we know you work hard and our products are utility. But at the end of the day you want to relax, so have a beer on us."
On the other hand, when Boulevard takes the truck to a Kansas City Chiefs game, the same guy is saying, "Boy I sure do love beer, thanks. Hey, you know what, I need a camper shell for my pick-up truck. These guys at Astro must be okay."
It worked for me. I have a new Astro camper shell on order for my pickup truck. Now if I could just get some Boulevard beer on the West Coast. Guys?
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 Dash Monitor: Ousting the...  Dash Monitor: Ousting the factory radio like the town drunk, S&K Car Stereo installed an Icon DV-7 controller and motorized 7-inch monitor. Using a Metra 99-5802 installation kit made simple work out of the job. |
 Arm Rest (changer): Audio...  Arm Rest (changer): Audio and video source for the system is this Icon U10DVDC CD/DVD disc changer. It's controlled through the dash-mounted unit and remote control. Icon's DA-230i tuner module, installed behind the amplifiers, is the "brain" of the system, processing commands from the user interface. |
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 Making way for a fiberglass...  Making way for a fiberglass ensemble of mobile audio and beer pressure, the rear passenger seat was removed and replaced by a tub containing two MTX amplifiers, two 12" MTX woofers and one CO2 container to pressurize the kegs. |
 Amprack/Subs: Call a cab because...  Amprack/Subs: Call a cab because the rear passenger seats of this four door were replaced with a custom fiberglass feature incorporating woofers and amplifiers. Ian Black first built a wooden frame and cinched it up with fiberglass. After sanding it smooth, painter Scott Brown applied factory Ford yellow paint with a red trim/access panel for the amplifiers. Remove the trim panel for access to the MTX amplifiers, Icon switcher and most of the system's electrical. |
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 Rear Monitor: For beer line...  Rear Monitor: For beer line entertainment, a 9-inch Icon flip-down monitor was installed on the bottom of an Astro tonneau cover. In fact, the entire bottom of the tonneau cover was refinished with mirror, a sponsor kiosk and vinyl-covered trim panel. |
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 Rear speaker tub: A beer garden...  Rear speaker tub: A beer garden isn't complete without a sound system. S&K Car Audio fabricated a speaker tub containing a single MTX Thunder 12" woofer and MTX Thunder 8000 component speaker system. A custom switching system allows the rear system to be powered-up together or independently from the cab system. |
TECH BOX
Paint: Factory yellow with custom graphics by Scott Brown, Odessa, MO
Engine: Factory V6 with Gibson cat-back exhaust system
Chassis: Superlift 6-inch suspension lift
Body Armor: Mile Marker brush guard and 8000-pound wench
Wheels: Weld Renegade 16x8-inch
Tires: Nitto Terra Grappler LT285/75-16
Custom: Astro Classic hard tonneau cover, custom fiberglass ice tub for kegs