Atlanta Cracker Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 I am in the preliminary stages of considering the purchase a keggerator(trying to talk my wife into it). Just curious if anyone has one or suggestions for setup or use as I have seen and heard reports of various complications and/or issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kid Cid Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 I am in the preliminary stages of considering the purchase a keggerator(trying to talk my wife into it). Just curious if anyone has one or suggestions for setup or use as I have seen and heard reports of various complications and/or issues. I don't personally own it, but the guy I brew with set up a 3 tap version for our home brews during football season. It just seems very straight forward is your used to running a CO2 system for dispensing beer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keggerz Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulzale Posted September 7, 2007 Share Posted September 7, 2007 I have an old refrigerator that is set up for a full keg and 3 home brew kegs (old type soda kegs, tall and narrow), I have also done 2 pony kegs in it. I don't home brew nearly as much any more so usually only have 1-2 beers on tap. Pretty straight forward conversion, set up ran about $200 for everything minus the refrigerator. I refer to it as my single greatest achievement, my wife porbablly doesn't like hearing that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers Posted September 8, 2007 Share Posted September 8, 2007 There are a bunch of ways to go here. One is to buy a freezer with a temp contoller. You can modify a fridge too. I'd suggest going to a homebrewing forum to learn more about all the options. I went with a top lid freezer, and installed the tap on the top, and added a wood collar between the top lid and the base of the unit. Pretty simple to do.... make a "box" sized to match the freezer opening using 2X6's. Then you can drill holes through the collar and keep the CO2 outside the cold compartment. Get a CO2 regulator, a tank a tap and yer just about done. I enclosed mine with wood completely, so it looks like a front serving wooden bar. I also put wheels on it. Like I said, tons of options.... try the homebrewing forums, which a Google search will produce at least 5 or 6 sites, those forums are full of great info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewer Posted September 9, 2007 Share Posted September 9, 2007 I converted an old refrig. Drilled a hole in the side, installed the shank and tap handle. Can fit 2 homebrew kegs of one regular barrel. However, it died last week. I got 10 good years out of her. I am now considering my options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulzale Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 Well have you done anything yet to make one or buy one ($400 at bestbuy)? I am telling you it is the best thing ever! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 A bigger better one can be built for about $250, if one buys all new equipment. Multiple taps, etc. Most of the brew pubs will fill corny kegs for you.... top shelf brew. What dispensing system does the one at Best Buy use? If it's a Sankey system, that will really limit the kinds and styles of brew you can dispense. Corny keg systems are a bit easier to deal with, 5 gallon kegs instead of huge barrels. All depends on what you want. And what kinds of beer you want to serve with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunder Chicken Posted September 15, 2007 Share Posted September 15, 2007 A bigger better one can be built for about $250, if one buys all new equipment. Multiple taps, etc. Most of the brew pubs will fill corny kegs for you.... top shelf brew. What dispensing system does the one at Best Buy use? If it's a Sankey system, that will really limit the kinds and styles of brew you can dispense. Corny keg systems are a bit easier to deal with, 5 gallon kegs instead of huge barrels. All depends on what you want. And what kinds of beer you want to serve with it. BEST Buy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 Single tap Sankey sytem. I find that limiting. That means only mass brewed Bud/Miller type stuff. Brew pubs with better beers can't supply that kind of keg in most cases. Good for swill brews, not so good for micro brewed beers. Like I said.... depends on what you are looking for. A two or three tap system is easy to build, and 5 gallon corny kegs can be filled by local brew pubs. Bud, or a quality IPA? Or a stout? Or an IPA, a stout and a lager all on tap at the same time, vs. Bud? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlanta Cracker Posted October 22, 2007 Author Share Posted October 22, 2007 Ok, I have decided to move forward with this. My plan is to modify the current extra fridge I have in the garage to handle a keg (maybe two down the road). Looks like I can get my favorite from a local beer store in 1/6 bbl or 5 gal keg. Will this kit be all that I need? Which coupler works with those size kegs? http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/k...d-RCK-LC-S.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers Posted October 22, 2007 Share Posted October 22, 2007 Ok, I have decided to move forward with this. My plan is to modify the current extra fridge I have in the garage to handle a keg (maybe two down the road). Looks like I can get my favorite from a local beer store in 1/6 bbl or 5 gal keg. Will this kit be all that I need? Which coupler works with those size kegs?http://www.micromatic.com/draft-keg-beer/k...d-RCK-LC-S.html You need to ask your local beer store that question. Only he can tell you what kind of "coupler" he provides with his kegs. 1/4 kegs and bigger usually have sankey connections, which most bars use. Most home brewers use corny, or Cornelieus connections. These hook up to those 5 gallon soda kegs, (called corny kegs) which home brewers use for beer instead. The latter is what I use.... I can go to a brew pub and have them fill the 5 gallon corny. The connections, whether sankey or corny keg types are cheap, but switching back and forth (which you could do) is a bit f a pita, but it's a simple matter of using screw clamps on clear beer line hose. Changing it over isn't hard.... just a pita. You just change the connectors, using hose clamps on the tap side of the hose. Beer when kept cold will keep for a long time. Some styles will lose some flavor, but generally won't go bad, as long as the beer lines are kept clean. So, you could dispense from one keg for as long as six months, but fresher is still better. In a CO2 sytem, it won't go flat as long as the CO2 pressure is set correctly. Think of a bottle of beer.... once the top is popped, it goes flat... the CO2 escapes. In a keg system, the CO2 pressure is held steady, so the beer won't go flat, like an unopened bottle. I'd go with the connections your beer distributor uses, you can always buy the other connectors whenever, and they aren't expensive. Ya wanna talk expensive, nitrogen based systems, which is what makes a Guinness pour the way it does, now that stuff costs coin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlanta Cracker Posted October 22, 2007 Author Share Posted October 22, 2007 Thanks Rovers. Maybe what I'll do is go purchase my first keg and then I can see for myself the connections. Plus having beer on hand that I can't drink untill I install the system will provide excellent motivation!! You mention keeping the tubes clean. Is that something you'd do between kegs or more frequently? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Thanks Rovers. Maybe what I'll do is go purchase my first keg and then I can see for myself the connections. Plus having beer on hand that I can't drink untill I install the system will provide excellent motivation!! You mention keeping the tubes clean. Is that something you'd do between kegs or more frequently? There are cleaning agents available. Beer line cleaner, the stuff they use in most bars is highly caustic stuff. You need to use a mask and rubber gloves, even a rubber apron with that stuff. I use a milder agent, but this company is the one to use for any cleaning/sanitizing stuff: http://www.fivestarchemicals.com/brew/draftclean.pdf I usually just soak my beer lines in PBW overnight every few weeks, which is also a Five Star product. Using a corny system lets me fill a 5 gallon keg with this stuff and then use the CO2 to flush out the lines. I'd imagine with a Sankey system you would have to remove the lines and soak them, but that doesn't clean the tap. Check that link out, Five Star Chemical company.... they should have info on cleaning a sankey beer line system. Dirty lines will result in skanky beer. Ever been to a bar where the tap beer tastes like chit? Dirty lines. It's best to clean them between every keg, maintaining clean lines is a whole lot easier than trying to clean them after they get all nasty. That real caustic stuff will clean even the dirtiest lines, but it's pretty dangerous material to handle. The Five Star site will tell you all you need to know, but they do tend towards overkill, as they are trying to sell their chemicals.... take some of their info with a grain of salt. Good luck with your kegorator... it's worth the effort. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlanta Cracker Posted November 3, 2007 Author Share Posted November 3, 2007 Well, everything finally came together today. I went by a local homebrew store and picked up all the parts necessary to modify my fridge to provide fresh draft beer. The modification went extremely smoothly - much unlike most modifications I attempt. When the day started I just thought I would gather the supplies and tools today and work on it later in the week but as I kept piddling things just sorta fell into place and by 4PM all I was missing from the equation was a keg of cold beer. So, I called Green's - the most badass beer/liqour store in the world (just ask Unta how about the high gravity beer closet) - and confirmed that they had a 1/6 barrell of my favorite - Sweetwater 420. I had spent the whole morning entertaining my son so my wife didn't mind me taking the 1.5 hour round trip to complete the project. When I got there I noticed they had the Sweetwater Festive Ale bottles on display. This is brewed once a year in one batch and that's it. So I asked nervously if they may have a keg of that I could substitute for the 420. After what seemed like an hour the guy comes back with one that has a Sweetwater lid and SFA on the label though he wasn't sure that it was the festive ale... FINALLY it was confirmed and I can't begin to describe my excitement. --- Cut to the end ---- As I type, I am enjoying my first full frosty mug of beer dispensed directly out of the side of my refirgerator in the garage! What happens if I drink it all tonight? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rovers Posted November 5, 2007 Share Posted November 5, 2007 So, what connection system did you end up with? Making yer own kegorator is cheaper, and it sounds like that part of it worked out pretty well. If it's a sankey system, I have an idea or two on how to clean the lines.... PM me if yer interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atlanta Cracker Posted November 10, 2007 Author Share Posted November 10, 2007 So last night my wife says to me... "Don't you think it would be better if we had more than one tap with different kinds of beer?" Uhm, YES!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.