Kesigage

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So, I am going to start kegging right off the bat and will buy a starter 2-keg system. There are quite a few freezers and fridges on Craiglists in my area and I want to get one for fermenting and dispensing beer.

Are there any pros/cons of getting a chest freezer? Stand up?

Is the temp for lagering could enough to have lager and dispense beer from the same freezer/fridge?

I like the chest freezer because of the ability to mount a collar and being able to mount the taps without them being in the door. But, just wanted to make sure that's the better choice.

asterix404

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I don't think there is a best choice here. If you are willing to drill through whatever material is in a fridge door, cool. You do not want to drill through the chest freezer unless it's through the top but a collar is much better (I love mine). You will need a thermostat which sits inside of the fridge or freezer because you will want to tightly control the temperature when kegging as it is 1 of the 2 variables you have, the second being preasure which you might not have as a variable depending on line length. For instance I need at least 6PSI to move beer to my tap through the 6ft of 1/4in tubing, I found at 10PSI I get a lot of head and over carbonation in my beer. You will also want to coat the wood with something that will seal out the water after it is finished, I used this nasty smelling compound called liquid fiber glass.

I went with a chest freezer and collar and I have to say I love it. It's a conversation piece to be sure, and a fun project. Really it is your preference, I thought that the chest freezer looked cooler than the fridge, but I have seen some really cool converted fridges too.

malkore

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I like the chest freezer size adn footprint, and the fact you can collar them now and uncollar in 5 years to make it a real deep freeze again if you wanted to upgrade.
I started at 7cu and 2 kegs and now I'm 14cu and 5 kegs on tap 24/7.

biggest con to chest freezers is lifting it up and inside...a front loading door is easier

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Malkore
Primary: English Mild
On tap: Pale Ale, Lancelot's Wheat, English Brown Ale, Steam Beer, HoovNuts IPA
Bottled: MOAM, Braggot, Raspberry Melomel, Merlot, Apfelwein, Pyment, Sweet mead, Cabernet
Gal in 2009: 27, Gal in 2010: 34, Gal in 2011: 13, Gal in 2012: 10

profallout

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I like chest freezers mainly because I can use the space more efficiently. Just don't screw up like I did and make sure you measure before you buy so you can put everything you want in it.

You could lager and drink from the same freezer assuming you like your beer 10-15 degrees warmer than your fridge. (Which I do because I like flavor in my beer. Super cold is just no good)

brewit2it

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Another vote for Keezer here. You can see my build in the link in my signature. I'll be updating it with more pics soon.

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See my cheap new Keezer Build Here:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f51/cheapest-new-2-keg-keezer-224848/

Primary: 2 Row IPA
Second Primary: Kolsch-like ale

Keg 1: Blur Moon
Keg 2: Empty
Keg 3: Empty

Bottled: None

asterix404

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Oh yea, when I bought my chest freezer I actually had 4 cardboard cut outs and tried to put them in the freazer without touching before I bought it. Also keep in mind that you will have a co2 tank in there as well, I put mine on the ledge on the inside.

rod734

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I thought about using a chest freezer, but decided to go with the 2 door frig, freezer on top for the kegerator. I keep my glasses in the top plus have the xtra freezer space. I'v got a chest freezer and at some point I'm going to make a fermenting chamber with both heating and cooling.

thadius856

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Another vote for chest freezer. They're just so much more versatile.

You can find drawings for many models here:

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/chest-freezer-specs-layouts-377518/

It's a work in progress.

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Chest Freezer Spec Sheets and Layout Drawings (15 models and counting)

Tips: Utilize Your Erlenmeyer's Full Capacity

See profile for brews in primary, on tap, etc.

BigRedHopHead

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+1....I keep all my hops in the freezer above, plus some extra meats. Painted the craiglist fridge to make it more appealing for the SWMBO. I can fit 4 kegs in a smaller 15cuft fridge with no problem. Have 4 taps too on the front. Now when I build a bar in my basement I will be going with the chest freezer option and run the taps up to the top of the bar. Just works better for now.

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Beer is the answer....but I can't remember the question.

SpentGrains

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Controlling fermentation temperatures is a must before a kegerator IMO. But after that:

First choice is a HUGE chest freezer. 12+ cu ft.

Second choice is a huge stand up freezer, but should be auto defrost (no coils in the shelving).

Smaller than that it doesn't really matter, fridges and freezers can both get 4+ kegs in them. The fridge has the extra freezer space which is handy. I think the keezer has a slight edge on looks if you do reface the top and add a coffin box.

I would get whatever is in the best condition for the price. I would also keep my budget to less than $100, used appliances are a gamble, they don't make them like they used to.