Anybody ever make a kegerator?
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It sounds like an easy and fun project. I saw a pretty sweet old fridge on Craigslist here in the Atlanta area.
My brother converted a really cool 1950’s era fridge into a kegerator. He said it was easy – I think he just bought a kit for the internal components from some random online store. I’m planning to make one at some point, but I don’t have the room for it at my current house.
this should do it
Zach,
As a home brewer I have done this with great success. It’s actually quite easy and I gave a double tap system in the main door. Austin home brew is a great store but there are a lot out there. I used keg works,just google keg supplies and you’ll see everything out there.Eric
Zach, drinking is bad !
Naughty boy !!!🙂
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That’s cool guys. Did any of you use a vintage fridge? I’m curious what I would need to look for to determine the condition of the cooling system. If it failed, could you install a new cooling panel somehow?
Zach,
I had a older fridge so I knew of it’s working condition. You can also use a freezers with a temperature controller installed to get the same outcome. Man different setups if you go to this site http://www.homebrewtalk.com and go into the DIY section. You can see all kinds of setups. One main thing is when you drill the holes for the tap shanks, do it where there is no cooling or wiring lines. That would mainly be in the door. As for a Vintage fridge I have seen a few of those from time to time. The old Westinghouse with the rounded front Doris a really cool look. It’s all up to you.Eric
Thanks a lot there Eric. Did you do a side-serve or a top-serve with yours?
I actually also got a home brew kit for Christmas — probably the cheapest one on the market. Any advice? Is there a particular type of beer that’s easier to brew than others? I love beer but I am not a huge fan of the super hop-heavy brews that seem to be so popular on the microbrew scene.
Zach
I made a kegerator back in the 90s when I drank a *lot* of beer.
I made it out of a small fridge I bought on the cheap and a kit that had all the fittings and lines.
It came with the keg tap connection, the CO2 regulator, and the tap.I put my tap on the side of the fridge, rather than the door.
that made changing the keg easier, and there was no chance of popping the door while drawing a beer.It took longer to go pick up the keg than it did to outfit the fridge.
One word of caution: make sure that you dont drill through any lines while drilling through the fridge.
A buddy told me a story about hitting a line while drilling through the side of a fridge.
Just drill a small hole through the shell and then prod around with a pencil.Brian
Good tip, Brian. Thanks man.
How much longevity were you getting out of your kegs once you tapped them? I’m assuming you had a CO2 system.
This all came about when I threw a party in the fall and ordered a torpedo keg of our local brewer Red Hare’s Long Day Lager. It was really delicious and we had a couple growlers’ worth left at the end (which I just transferred over and drank). But it occurred to me how nice it would be to have the ability to just pull a couple pints off–I’d probably go for a double tap array with two different beers. However, it would definitely take me at least a month to drink a torpedo on my own, much less two. I think it was like 56 beers apiece.
Zach
There’s no problem keeping a keg tapped for a month or two.
That is, as long as you keep the CO2 on it.Just keep good pressure on it. The kit I got came with a little CO2 tank.
I never used it. A friend of mine “acquired” a CO2 tank that was used for a soda fountain machine.
It will take a while to use on of those.Another thing. Clean the lines. That’s where you will get a nasty taste from….old beer sitting in the line.
Keep the lines as short as is convenient.What I did was to use spare lines. Pull the old one off, put the clean one on. Soak and clean the old one for the next rotation. Shorter lines are easier to clean.
Bars/taverns have long lines. Some are so long in fact, that they even have line raceways that are refrigerated. That’s to keep the beer from getting warm on its way to the tap.
So it’s a major pain to remove these lines. There are line cleaning setups that hook on the keg end of the line and run cleaner through the lines and out the tap.
If you’ve ever had a funny tasting draft beer in a bar, this could be why.
Maybe the bar doesn’t clean their lines. The first few beers will be nasty until the sitting crapola is flushed out. A lot of times, the beer vendors will come in with a kit and clean their beer lines for the bar. Good business practice. Once the cleaning is done, the lines need to be flushed. If they aren’t completely flushed, the first few beers are going to taste at least a little funny.So use short lines and clean them well and clean them often enough.
Brian
That’s really interesting Brian. I used to work at Lost Springs Golf & Athletic Club in Rogers. One thing I learned there was that if you don’t clean the tea jug that sits out all day with bleach, every single night, eventually the scuzz on the walls of the jar will go rancid and give your tea a terrible flavor. Once I realized what I was tasting we got those tea jugs clean as a whistle — but now I always taste-test my tea in a restaurant before consuming. Nothing grosser than getting that flavor and knowing exactly where it is coming from.
Zach
Zach,
I keg my own beer that I brew. I use old soda syrup kegs, 5 gallon containers. I have a 10 lb CO2 canister that lasts quite a long time. The old syrup kegs are getting tougher to find, ebay and craigslist is where I loom for them now. As for easiest beer to brew, stay away from high alcohol brews and find something you like. The whole thing comes down to proper cleaning and using good water. Go on the internet and try to find a style if beer recipe you like and go with it.Eric
Yep, all homebrew. This is a pic of my old one. That fridge crapped out a year or two ago and have since built a 3 tapper out of a slightly smaller fridge. It’s not too hard to do. Just need a good drill. Parts wise a co2 splitter, co2 bottle, double output regulator, splitter and some hose. Everyone need hose!
Google Midwest-supplies… They have good stuff and can help walk you through it if you need it.
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