I went ahead and pulled the trigger tonight on not only registering to post on HBT, but also to go premium to show my appreciation for this message board. I've spent the last few weeks quietly looking at every single kegerator build, searching out others' questions, as well as finding answers to questions I knew I'd hit and those along the way - JUST to make sure I knew what I was doing before ever getting started. This dream came true when my awesome next door neighbor (who has had a kegerator for quite a while - and I've been quite jealous) sent me some links to HBT showing off the awesome kegerators and keezers this community has built. I'd never known how "possible" it was until this guy moved in next door. So glad he did. The delay was costs. I wasn't sure how I could ever convince SWMBO that it would be a financially worth it. He and his wife were ready for a new larger side-by-side, and I got the text message that changed it all:
"Would you like a fridge [to make a kegerator] for 40 bucks?"
I knew it was in great shape, and they were just having it hauled off otherwise, so YES. PLEASE.
It would take a day or two more for them to get their new fridge, so the wheels in my head were churning... How to decorate this thing??? I'd thought about stickers as others have done. I'd thought about an Arkansas Razorbacks inspired one, etc. I wracked my brain for a day and a half and it hit me: this fridge is black like Guinness (I do realize Guinness is really a deep dark amber color), my favorite beer in the entire world! I then knew exactly what I'd do. I ordered a large vinyl decal from eBay. I ordered a kegerator conversion kit from beverage factory (SO easy to install these things!), and picked up some white engine paint, lumber, etc. I did some hella taping and covering, taping and covering to get the head lines right and avoid overspray. I lightly sanded all the plastic parts and painted them with white plastic paint to ensure proper bonding. Fortunately, the fridge was already quite spacious, so I only had to remove the inner shelves and build a sturdy keg shelf out of a sheet of plywood and some 2"x6" supports. Every door shelf was able to be retained leaving tons of room for bottles of other beers, cans, waters, with even more space for a 12 pack and a pack of water bottles under the keg shelf. I decided not to go with full size tap handles so I could always access the freezer without bumping the faucets wide open. The freezer is stocked with frozen mugs and some meat (as to please the wife). I built the floating drip tray out of about $20 worth of materials from home depot. It's just some red cedar pieces stained with red mahogany stain, a 2"x12" floor heater/AC register painted with black engine enamel and coated a few times with clear coat spray. About 10 hours of work in, and the "Pint o' Guinness kegerator" was born. Currently, I'm running a full keg of Diamond Bear Pale Ale (brewed in Little Rock) on tap, and have an empty cornelius ready for me to brew some Irish stout. I have the ingredient kit and all my equipment, I just need to find the time (and order the extra faucet - waiting until the stout is ready as by then I'm going with two Perlick 525ss's).
Enough jabbering, hope you enjoy...
In the gravity bar (Guinness tour in Dublin, Ireland) - a pilgrimage:
Linear Mode
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