It’s a bit difficult to think of a vehicle priced at $329,999 as any part Rat Rod, but that’s how the seller of this 1946 Chevrolet beer tanker initially describes it, although this one is a whole lot more once you get into the many details. The story goes that this cab-over-engine truck was first found resting in a barn, but a local brewery in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, enlisted the skills of Hauk Designs to turn it into a rolling beer hauler, and it’s capable of holding enough brew to get an entire small town tipsy. If you or someone you know has deep pockets and the need for such a specialty vehicle, this one can be found here on Facebook Marketplace in Sarasota, Florida, and our thanks go out to Chuck Foster for sending in such an unusual tip!
The idea here was for the Roy Pitz brewery (later rebranded Liquid Art Brewing Company) to create a beer truck to drive to local events, with the company co-founder, Jesse Rotz, quoted as saying, “We view beer as liquid art. The way our beer is served should be equally impressive.” Unfortunately, this independent brewery is now out of business. In addition to the Chevy truck, an old 3,000-gallon diesel fuel tank was located, with the Hauk crew reportedly spending days cleaning out the inside in preparation to safely fill it with a massive amount of suds. After the area was sanitized, a keg-holding section was fabricated, including 3 insulated hatches and a glycol cooling system, to ensure patrons were served their beer at the proper temperature.
Much of the expense here was due to the suspension and mechanical features, with 5 junkyard-sourced axles narrowed and fitted with gears supplied by Revolution. Other parts include FOX truck shocks, JKS track bars, BDS control arms, and steering components from Rare Parts. An air-ride system from Ride Tech gave the truck and trailer a great stance, and 16 of the 18 tires look ready to tackle any terrain this one may encounter. When the time came for an engine installation, a new 5.9-liter crate Cummins was selected, and it also received a custom turbocharged setup featuring a pair of Turbometrics units.
Inside, a distressed appearance was favored to match the ratty exterior, with the leather seats provided by TM Industries. The seller says the task of wiring the rig was monumental, but an expert in the field, Jamie Onderdonk, handled this task. Once everything was completed, the Hauk team entered their creation into the 2020 Diesel Rat Build Off contest, and it’s no surprise they took home the top prize! This beer tanker is uber cool in so many ways, and hopefully another brewery will have enough cash on hand to put it back on the road serving up cold hop-and-barley beverages to astounded spectators. Any thoughts to share about this rolling oddity?
Well, you’re not likely to see two of these show up at the same show-N-shine, or Cars-N-Coffee. Personally, I’d rather see something a trifle more subdued, and even usable. Once again, I don’t like the idea of butchering a rare truck but I have to admit that the builders did a good job here. It’s too bad that the brewery couldn’t hold up to get some use out of this.
I can’t help but wonder if anyone drank beer from that tank. It sounds like a major project getting that so the contents didn’t poison you. Oh well, as long as Lucas, “Prince of Darkness,” didn’t build the refrigeration system…
Lots of imagination, coming up with a design for a custom truck to promote your product(s). Some years ago I saw this truck at a show when visiting the lower mainland on the west BC coast. It’s essentially a White COE that has really gone through some major design changes. And all to promote suds. When you look at what Budweiser and Miller has done over the years, there’s obviously a lot of money available to build such outrageous machines…
Now that is rolling art. Could only imagine how many skilled hours went into building this just amazing. I spent over 25 years as a welder and fabricator nothing like this though so I can appreciate the builders of this.
Looks like something out of Mad Max.
I do like this truck but, would like to see some before pics. I would rather see a restored project in lieu of fabricated un-earned patina.
Keep the truck, I’ll take the beer!