Anyone have a kegerator?

[atgcpaul]

I always thought it would be cool to have a kegerator--mainly for convenience
and price. My trepidation is having to drink the same beer for the life of the
keg and the shelf life of the beer in the keg. How long does beer stay "fresh"
in a refrigerated keg and how many beers do you get out of one keg?

Thanks, Paul

[poolhound]

I always thought it would be cool to have a kegerator--mainly for convenience
and price. My trepidation is having to drink the same beer for the life of the
keg and the shelf life of the beer in the keg. How long does beer stay "fresh"
in a refrigerated keg and how many beers do you get out of one keg?

Thanks, Paul

If you got one today I doubt there would be a problem getting through a keg (or 2) this afternoon.

More seriously, if you have a lot of parties or entertain a lot (or drink tons of beer yourself) then it may be worthwhile. I often get kegs when we have parties but not sure I would want to be drinking from the same keg for over a month...

Go - Cardinals!!

[Tom Slick]

I hope you were thinking about 5 gallon kegs, a half barrel is a lot of beer!. with CO2 they stay fresh for awhile, I don't remember how long though. Its the oxygen that kills beer, CO2 keeps it preserved.

some beer math to figure out "beers/keg"

5 gal * 128oz = 640 oz
1 bottle/can/cup = 12oz
640/12= 53 "beers"
53/12= about 4 twelve packs or 8 six packs.


It won't be exactly that much but it will be 45 or so.

[jonmulzer]

It is easy enough to make your own kegerator and a LOT cheaper! I have put together a few and used to have one. I never really noticed the beer going bad, but you also drink a lot more if you have a keg on tap at 30 degrees. It seems like every time you walk past it you fill your glass.

Your typical kegs are 15.5 gallons, almost 7 cases of bottles or 124 pint glasses worth. If you want variety and are inclined to DIY then there are several websites that can tell you which mini-fridges will fit two Cornelius (Corny) kegs and a CO2 container. Then you would have two beers on tap and that is what I am probably going to start doing since I am making my own beer now and bottling is a pain.

[dbhost]

I always thought it would be cool to have a kegerator--mainly for convenience
and price. My trepidation is having to drink the same beer for the life of the
keg and the shelf life of the beer in the keg. How long does beer stay "fresh"
in a refrigerated keg and how many beers do you get out of one keg?

Thanks, Paul

I do (actually did, I need to replace the fridge, but have all the other components ready to go still). but my answer is a bit, uh, biased... The DIY bug for me isn't restricted to woodworking.

I have a small (6) assortment of Corny (Corneliius) kegs I got from the local brewers supply. A regular 20 cu ft fridge will hold 4 upright. If it is a freezerless fridge, then 8. I usually had 2 loaded and in the fridge, and if I was lagering, I had my carboy in the fridge / kegerator as well...

I have a friend that has one set up, he restores vintage units and adds modern insulation / electronics to them. He has a 1950s vintage Kelvinator painted candy apple red with 4 taps. Nice machine...

Don't let the beer get warm, and don't expose it to oxygen, and if you drink at a reasonable rate. (A couple during the weekend sort of thing, not excess, not letting dust gather on it) you will not have any problems with it...Even if you are using 1/2 barrel kegs...

BTW, for those in the Houston area that are interested, check out the Bay Area Mashtronauts. Good group of guys with a taste for good beer...

[dbhost]

It is easy enough to make your own kegerator and a LOT cheaper! I have put together a few and used to have one. I never really noticed the beer going bad, but you also drink a lot more if you have a keg on tap at 30 degrees. It seems like every time you walk past it you fill your glass.

Your typical kegs are 15.5 gallons, almost 7 cases of bottles or 124 pint glasses worth. If you want variety and are inclined to DIY then there are several websites that can tell you which mini-fridges will fit two Cornelius (Corny) kegs and a CO2 container. Then you would have two beers on tap and that is what I am probably going to start doing since I am making my own beer now and bottling is a pain.

Try the paintball size CO2 bottles... The brewers supply in Seabrook Texas sells them, I will try to get you the info on the kit. I lost my labels. MUCH less space required in the fridge, and better set up than an external as you are not hitting cold beer with hot CO2....

Since my kegerator is dead and dismantled, I am back to bottling, I sooooo know what you mean by bottling is a PITA.

What do you like to brew? I've got a few left from my last 2 batches. Cream Ale and a Dopplebock. Yum, bock and brats!. I think it's time for lunch!

[jonmulzer]

I have only brewed one batch so far. An american red ale recipe with amber malt and willamette hops. Next up will probably be a milk stout and maybe a tripel. I also have a good cider recipe I want to do that runs about 9% abv.

To the original poster, where are you wanting to put your kegerator? If it is going to be in the garage or some other man cave you could put one together ultra cheap. A used fridge from craigslist and a kit and you would be in business. If it needs to appear more aesthetic to keep the SO happy then it will cost more. The benefit to the cheap fridge is that you have a freezer section for mugs and run-off from the kitchen fridge, and you can paint it however you wish. One that I made back in the day ended up with wild flames over candy apple paint. Not my cup of tea, but it suited the owner well as he custom painted automobiles.

[Tom Slick]

One thing to keep in mind with building your own is a standard fridge thermostat has a wide temperature band for a single temp setting. it also doesn't moderate warmer temps well, such as ale serving temps. This is solved by adding an external thermostat.

I don't drink "ice cold" beer so it was an issue when I had a kegerator.

[Woodshark]

OK Thanks. Now you have me on a tangent looking at how to build a kegerator on the net and trying to figure out where I can put it.