Kegerating on a budget (with limited space)

by **Anzac Cookies** » Saturday Sep 16, 2006 9:25 pm

Hey all, just finished my mini Keg fridge. I started out with a budget and until i encountered buying 11 litre kegs everything was on track. I thought i would post a few pics.

by **Boonie** » Saturday Sep 16, 2006 10:01 pm

Anzac Cookies wrote:Hey all, just finished my mini Keg fridge. I started out with a budget and until i encountered buying 11 litre kegs everything was on track. I thought i would post a few pics.

Love it. I am envious.

My wife blew up, not really, when I bought Coopers Vintage last night.......

Imagine if I rocked in with this puppy :shock:

Anzac, that is nice & compact. Taps on top!......brilliant. :wink:

by **Anzac Cookies** » Saturday Sep 16, 2006 10:10 pm

In the left Keg is the Dos Equis Clone which Lethal Dog gave me the recipe for, and in the right is the Wetpak American Pale ALe, both are awesome, i am stoked to the eyeballs

by **Boonie** » Saturday Sep 16, 2006 10:24 pm

Anzac Cookies wrote:In the left Keg is the Dos Equis Clone which Lethal Dog gave me the recipe for, and in the right is the Wetpak American Pale ALe, both are awesome, i am stoked to the eyeballs

That wetpak APA is getting rave reviews.

by **Dogger Dan** » Saturday Sep 16, 2006 10:57 pm

Nice,

I am looking for a double tower myself.

Are you just splitting the CO2 line or are you running through a manifold?

Dogger

by **Anzac Cookies** » Saturday Sep 16, 2006 11:06 pm

I am just running the one regulator, i wish i had a dual regulator so i could run say a stout and a wit bier at 2 different carb levels

by **Dogger Dan** » Saturday Sep 16, 2006 11:28 pm

You can split that line and put an isolation valve on each which could let you do that for relativly cheap (say 20 bucks all in).

I am debating going that route but then I may want to go the extra mile.......
Ahhhh I guess I better see how rich I feal in the near future.

My guess is that I will split whith an isolation valve, see how it works and if I can operate in a drunken state.

Dogger

by **yardglass** » Sunday Sep 17, 2006 8:14 am

nice job AC, got any pics of the installation of the tower ?

also, is the tower cooled ?

cheers

by **Anzac Cookies** » Sunday Sep 17, 2006 11:19 am

No i didnt take any pics of the installation of the tower, i just used a small holesaw that was big enough to get both lines through. I have temporarily screwed a couple of bits of timber from the inside until i get a flange made up so i can use machine screws to secure the tower. If you like i will take some photos when i dismantle it to put the flange on. The tower itself isnt cooled but it is insulated on the inside and the top. There doesnt seem to be any loss of temp though because i kept the hole for the lines as small as i could

by **rwh** » Sunday Sep 17, 2006 12:06 pm

Wow, I've been dreaming of doing exactly this... only troube is funds, and working out the exact design to maximise use of space. A small appartment requires that.

That fridge... does it have the cooling unit in the top right? Most fridges have theirs down the bottom resulting in a 'step' which would interfere with the placement of the kegs. Also, how many litres are the big and little kegs you have there, and where did you get them?

Thanks! You might have brought this a little closer to reality for me!

by **Anzac Cookies** » Sunday Sep 17, 2006 12:27 pm

The fridge does have the step at the bottom, but i measured the kegs and there was JUST enogh room for the two kegs once i removed the shelves from the door (they just slide off). The taller keg is 18litre (5 gallon) which i got for US$22.00 each and the smaller one is 11 litre (3 Gallon) which cost me A$135.00 (extremely hard to find and they are really expensive if you can find them). I had to get the single handle kegs (because they are shorter than alot of the Corny kegs getting sold in Australia) so that it would fit under the temperature controller. The font cost me A$200 (delivered from the USA in 4-10 days alot cheaper if you dont mind waiting for slower delivery). This particular fridge uses the freezer compartment (top right hand side) to cool the rest of the fridge, i did contemplate swinging the freezer compartment 90 deg to the rear of the freezer so i could fit 2 x 18litre kegs, but if the refrigerant line broke my dream would have been over. I did notice the smaller keg was pouring alot of froth so i placed a piece of polystyrene foam between it and the freezer because it was getting too cold. If you need any other questions answered feel free cos this setup is awesome i reckon every homebrewer should have their supply on tap.

BTW there are bar fridges out there that are 'fridge only' with no freezer section so you could put 2 or 3 corny kegs in there, i couldnt find one in stainless steel so i had to modify my setup to suit

by **rwh** » Sunday Sep 17, 2006 12:31 pm

Sweet, thanks for answering the questions mate

Yeah, I guess I'll just have to get the kegging system first, then see if I can find a fridge that will fit 2 kegs in. Not fussed about the SS, so I might have an easier time, but I'll definitely try to find one without a freezer. Gotta maximise the space in there for beer!

by **Anzac Cookies** » Sunday Sep 17, 2006 12:50 pm

Yeah, the stainless was to keep the Mrs happy, more of a compromise :cry:

All the same there is enough beer in there for me for a few sessions, lol

If you need any contacts for the kegs or equipment i could link you up with them.

by **Hatchet Juggla** » Sunday Sep 17, 2006 3:14 pm

despite being a home brewer, I'm actualy quite lazy in everything i do. just out of curiosity, would you consider building one, for a bit of profit? how much would a set up like that cost, if i got someone to build it for me? (i assume i can't find a place that sells them for a reasonable price pre built...)

by **Anzac Cookies** » Sunday Sep 17, 2006 3:23 pm

Fridge (second hand) $100.00
Two tap Font $200.00
Regulator $80.00
Hose / Fittings $20.00
Disconnects (2 sets) $60.00
Drip Trap (Plastic) $15.00
18litre Keg $85.00
11litre Keg $135.00
Hire of C02 bottle (i think it was around ($35.00)

TOTAL $730.00

I could help you put one together, mine took about an hour if that.

by **Hatchet Juggla** » Sunday Sep 17, 2006 5:49 pm

if an 11litre Keg is so much more expensive, couldnt i just use two bigger ones?? i have a huge old fridge at my disposal.... i would probably rather have a pluto gun or a tap mounted on the front then a font anyways...

by **Emo** » Sunday Sep 17, 2006 5:59 pm

Man, I can only dream about having a set up like that.

Maybe one day.

by **Anzac Cookies** » Sunday Sep 17, 2006 6:04 pm

Hatchet Juggla wrote:if an 11litre Keg is so much more expensive, couldnt i just use two bigger ones?? i have a huge old fridge at my disposal.... i would probably rather have a pluto gun or a tap mounted on the front then a font anyways...

Of course you could, it would end up alot cheaper too

by **OldBugman** » Sunday Sep 17, 2006 7:07 pm

Check out ebay.

they have heaps of kits with 1 2 or 3 19L kegs, reg, lines, diconects and tap or guns for various prices, range from 300-400 normally depending on seller and ammount of kegs

by **reg** » Monday Sep 18, 2006 3:02 pm

Hi there A C,
I am looking at doing a set up exactly like this and am in the process of getting a bar fridge without a freezer.....a lot more difficult than it sounds.

You mentioned before about helping out with contacts for kegs from the states, would you be able to help me out with them.

Cheers
Reg
P.S it is an awesome set up.....

Kegerating on a budget (with limited space)

Kegerating on a budget (with limited space)

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