[vanbcguy]

Originally Posted by rex

Couldn't help but notice the "PowerFist" brand from PA!!!!

You betcha... After getting the fridge loaded in to the truck my next stop was Princess Auto for a set of hole saws and a hand cart - the fridge weighs about 165 lbs!! Figured the hand truck would be useful for moving kegs around too...

My draft tower / taps / etc should show up on the 20th - sucks to have to wait that long but I'm actually away in Atlanta this week anyhow. I'll more or less come home to a bunch of shiny new toys waiting for me!

[vanbcguy]

I have a kegerator!!

Bits and pieces:


Looks like a fun time!

Got myself a new drill - need something a little bit more than my little cordless to drive a 2 1/2" hole saw through metal. Got a $10 off cupon at Sears too! Nice 1/2" drill anyhow. The Princess Auto hole saw worked GREAT! Here's the first layer through...



Walk in to the light!



Test fitting my tower and figuring out where the holes should go for the retaining bolts - I used a whiteboard marker for all my markings btw- easy to get off again if you change your mind!



Mounted up...



Nice thing with this fridge is it's metal all around, so no need to worry about any extra stuff to retain the tower. I was originally going to use your run of the mill bar fridge but figured the plastic top would just suck for holding things steady. This is MUCH better!!

I likey!!



Regulators all hooked up and ready to go - I decided to go for a dual regulator rather than just a splitter valve. Difference in cost was way less than the price of another regulator later on. Figured I'd rather spend a little bit more now than decide later that I needed another one and have to spend 3x that to get it.



I wasn't initially happy with the airflow up in to the tower. I made this out of a paper towel tube. Yeah, a little hokey but it works REALLY well. I could probably do the same thing with some large flexible vinyl tubing or something, but I'll wait for this to die first. Getting some sweat on the outside of my tower where the factory insulation doesn't cover it - might have to sort something out.



Finished product:





Won't have anything to put in it till probably Friday. I'm jumping on a plane again on Tuesday and I'd rather be around after the first keg goes in. Things like making sure it doesn't freeze, unexpected leaks, etc that I'd rather not rely on the wife to discover...

[herbtarlicca]

Kegerator looks great dude...

Couple questions for ya...

Where did you get your parts for your Kegerator?

I'm curious to what you think of the beer at West Coast U Brew?

I live out in Cloverdale and got my Kegerator parts from Simgo in Surrey. I want to do good beer for cheap, but don't have time to start brewing my own. Starting with one of the brewhouse kits from Spagnols. Most of the U-brews around here cater to Budweiser types. Just wondering if you think West Coast is worth a trip in to the city?

Thanks for any insight.

[vanbcguy]

Thanks! I'm really stoked with how it came out. It's taking an incredible amount of restraint not to go and get beer right this second!

I ordered my stuff through kegworks.com - everything showed up pretty quickly and the prices were OK but I'll probably be checking out Simgo for some of the other bits and pieces I want. I didn't find out about them till after I'd ordered everything.

West Coast ROCKS. They really really really know their beer. No beer kits or anything, Mike makes it all from scratch. They've actually even gone so far as to start growing some of their own hops (well, they have a contract for a local field anyhow)... Their beer is in my opinion superior to just about anything you can pick up at the local liquor store.

Mike's also open to tweaking and tuning for you - I've had him make up some custom stuff for me a few times. His regular recipes are all quite good as well.

So yeah, can't say enough good about them. It's a fun atmosphere in there too - I always have a good time just hanging out.

[herbtarlicca]

Thanks for the heads up on West Coast. I'll definitely give them a try thanks to your recommendation. Do you go in and brew it yourself or do you just call an order in?

What are some of your favorite beers that they brew?

[vanbcguy]

I usually order my next batch when I'm in bottling the previous one... That way I've always got one on the go.

My favorites:

Mike's IPA - Great IPA flavour with a real good kick, awesome hot weather beer
Soft Porter - Just what the name says - a nice smooth porter
Grizzly Beer - Bit more mild than the Soft Porter

They've got monthly specials too, sometimes I just grab whatever's on special if it fits my palate... Last couple of months have been some different pale ales - there was a Lord Stanley Pale Ale earlier in the summer that was awesome, but it isn't on the usual menu.

[vanbcguy]

I have beer flowing!!!!

I picked up a pair of 30L kegs from Russel Brewing - got their Cream Ale and their IPA to get me started. There is a possibility that the kegs won't get returned *cough* and might get filled up again elsewhere... Repeatedly...

I'll post a beauty shot later - too busy enjoying my beer right now.

Oh yeah, for those of you in the Greater Vancouver area who are looking for a place to get your CO2 cylinder filled... I bought a new cylinder at Simgo, but naturally it comes empty. I then discovered that it's REALLY hard to find a place that will fill 'em up for you!! West Coast Brewing can't do it, but West Coast Welding Supply can!! They're right by Kingsway and Imperial and have just about every size of cylinder available. Meritt street, just East of Imperial.

[vanbcguy]

Oh yeah, and can't help but say DANG it's good to measure everything like 30 times and have it all just fit like a glove when you get the parts...

[herbtarlicca]

KMS Tools fills them on the spot as well.

[SeamusMac]

That's great that you can fit 30L kegs! Super convenient. Most smallish kegerators I've seen can just barely fit 2 ball-lock cornies because of the compressor housing in the back, which creates that bothersome lump...