Will 6 cornies fit in this one?

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gonzo brewer

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I am ready to pull the trigger and buy the 8.8 cf chest freezer, the black sears kenmore model which is on sale for $299 until next week.

I measured the inside dimensions (discounting the hump) and it is 16-3/16" by 24-7/8". If the cornies I buy are 8" diameter, it will 6.

I saw on the WIKI that cornies can be 8" dia and 8-1/2" dia.

I also plan to buy the 2 keg starter kit at midwestern, and their notes say 8" dia.

I plan to pick up 4 more kegs in time, but not sure I can I can gaurantee 8" dia.

What do you think?
 
I have not purchased any cornies yet. The sale ends on the 20th so I need to make a decision.

Also, I am planning a furniture style keezer like jester is making.
I have some leftover granite from our kitchen and would like to have a custom fabbed surface.
 
I doubt it. Here's a 10 cu. ft. Amana. It might take 6. 5 for sure.

Freezer.jpg
 
I better get my cornies first. I do not want to undersize my keezer. I think a minumum tap count should be 5 or six.

How much corny space for conditioning is reasonable if I have 5 taps? I'm thinking 1 or 2.

Also, I use a side by side fridge freezer for my fermentation chamber with a temp controller. It runs 67º on refer side and 48º on the freezer side on warm days. Probably warmer on the freezer side during cooler weather. Would the freezer side work well for conditioning instead of a keezer or will the temp swings be a bad thing?
 
Don't be bullied by a sale. I'd seriously look on Craigslist for the biggest chest freezer you can find. I'd hate to see you spend $300 for a freezer that will limit you. I find that storage space is a challenge for beers I want to condition for long periods of time. It pretty much requires 2 chest freezers because you can't usually hold more than 6 in your average freezer. If you want 6 taps, there'll be no room left for cold storage. Me, I've got a chest freezer that has 4 taps/holds 4 cornies +1 carboy on the hump. I've almost never had all 4 taps on at once, and if I do, the beer gets old. Some people brew more than others, but 6 taps is quite a lot. Unless you've got people coming over all the time and you brew a lot, you probably don't need that many. Keep in mind that just the faucets go for $40/ea. and that doesn't include the shanks, handles, lines, qd's, etc. It's a small fortune in itself! Make SURE you buy a manifold that can be upgraded (or just build one) or you'll be forced into upgrading later. Maybe this is TMI, but hopefully it helps. If I could do it all over again, I'd just get a massive chest freezer and have a small ferm cabinet. As of now, I've got a collection of fridges, and it's kinda janky :D
 
A few weeks ago a purchased a 15 cubic foot freezer on craigslist for $175. It is only 5 years old with very few scratches or anything on it. It took me a while to find the right one, but it was definitely worth the wait. I think it will hold 7-9 cornies with no problem.
 
Don't be bullied by a sale. I'd seriously look on Craigslist for the biggest chest freezer you can find. I'd hate to see you spend $300 for a freezer that will limit you. I find that storage space is a challenge for beers I want to condition for long periods of time. It pretty much requires 2 chest freezers because you can't usually hold more than 6 in your average freezer. If you want 6 taps, there'll be no room left for cold storage. Me, I've got a chest freezer that has 4 taps/holds 4 cornies +1 carboy on the hump. I've almost never had all 4 taps on at once, and if I do, the beer gets old. Some people brew more than others, but 6 taps is quite a lot. Unless you've got people coming over all the time and you brew a lot, you probably don't need that many. Keep in mind that just the faucets go for $40/ea. and that doesn't include the shanks, handles, lines, qd's, etc. It's a small fortune in itself! Make SURE you buy a manifold that can be upgraded (or just build one) or you'll be forced into upgrading later. Maybe this is TMI, but hopefully it helps. If I could do it all over again, I'd just get a massive chest freezer and have a small ferm cabinet. As of now, I've got a collection of fridges, and it's kinda janky :D

This is great info. You are probably right, 6 taps is alot. I know what you mean about a collection of fridges. I have one standard garage fridge (water, soda overflow from house fridge and bottled beer). A second garage fridge for fermentation (can hold 2 carboys). I don't really want to get 3 more chest freezers.

I don't know why, but my SWMBO is pushing for a new chest freezer instead of a used one, ergo the sears sale.

I do brew 10-15 gallons a month as I give a lot away in bottles (got to stop this). We also entertain and I seem to run out quikly. I've brewed 140 gallons in the last 10 months.

What about a 8.8cf keezer with 4 taps (room for 2 in cold storage). Space for 2 carboys in fermetation fridge. Can throw one more carboy in garage fridge if needed. Would this be sufficient for the average homebrewer?

I'm just tired of bottling.
 
Here's some free advice. Don't think that a few positions for conditioning but not pouring is going to satisfy you. I thought that I'd leave one of my 5 spots "unpourable" for conditioning figuring that I'll always kick a keg by the time it's ready. Nope.. That fifth position will be ready to drink and the other ones that have dedicated faucets will still be half full. You'll end up swapping one of the beer lines back and forth.
 
...That fifth position will be ready to drink and the other ones that have dedicated faucets will still be half full. You'll end up swapping one of the beer lines back and forth.

Exactly. I just moved my five tapper freezer to the garage for...FOOD. So I took the opportunity to upgrade the brewshop freezer to a 14.8 CF Frigidaire. It now holds 9 cornies (with the side basket rails removed). Same thinking. Those four extra cornies will be untouchable until the other tapped kegs are gone.

Wrong. I just rigged two more cobra lines to get into those kegs.

I think the rule is...the more varieties of beer you brew, the more live taps you'll want to have.
 
Right, so the formula goes like this:

F=(K-D) where F= Number of faucets, K=Number of Kegs that fit in the freezer, and D equals number of duplicate beers (same style). If you don't brew 10 gallons batches where duplicates are more likely, then F effectively equals K. Pour them all.
 
Exactly. I just moved my five tapper freezer to the garage for...FOOD. So I took the opportunity to upgrade the brewshop freezer to a 14.8 CF Frigidaire. It now holds 9 cornies (with the side basket rails removed). Same thinking. Those four extra cornies will be untouchable until the other tapped kegs are gone.

YOU MUST HAVE WILLPOWER

Wrong. I just rigged two more cobra lines to get into those kegs.

NOW YOU HAVE 7 TAPS - DOESN'T 2 OF THE 7 DRAIN QUICKER AS THEY ARE MORE POPULAR?

I think the rule is...the more varieties of beer you brew, the more live taps you'll want to have.

TO WHAT END


This is all good food for thought. But, my end game is to make a furniture keezer similar to Jester 369's. I can put a large chest freezer in my garage, but isn't 14.8 cf too large as a piece of furniture in the family room?
 
Gonzo,

Home Depot has the Magic Chef 10cf freezer for $197. I just bought one 2 weeks ago. Fits 6 cornies and a carboy on the hump.

The freezer is discontinued but may stores will still have it.

Call up one in your area and ask if they still have it. If they don't ask them to check other stores in the area for it. That how I found mine. Out of the total of 12 HD stores in Metro Denver, I found a total of 9 of these between the stores.

Hope this helps.
 
Thanx,
I looked there on Friday and they did not have one. I'll call right now to see if they have any in the LA area. Looks perfect.
 
Thanx,
I looked there on Friday and they did not have one. I'll call right now to see if they have any in the LA area. Looks perfect.

They've got to have some in an area that large. I mean there must be 50 HD's between LA and Orange County.
 
They've got to have some in an area that large. I mean there must be 50 HD's between LA and Orange County.

Yep, Just called one and they have 4. Will swing by tonight on the way home from work and pick it up.

Thanx for the tip.

Now I need to decide on the single or the double kit from midwestsupplies as a starter.
I can get 4 kegs with new o-rings for $80 at my LBHS.
 
There's certainly a threshold between form and function and just how big of a freezer you can tolerate but the arguement is actually about making sure your number of faucets matches how many beers you stock at any one time. The two BMs seem to agree on this one. If you have 6 kegs in there, you'll probably regret installing anything less than 6 faucets. If it's 3 kegs, 3 faucets... just skip the "cold conditioning" position. If it's not ready to drink, put a cup over the handle or disconnect the QD.
 
That's a good deal on that freezer. Mine's like 8.8 and I paid the same....in a scratch and dent sale at Lowe's. Regardless of how much you brew, how much you want to stock, etc....you'll appreciate the room.
 
Gonzo,
I live in Longmont and was wondering if you could let me know what HD stores had these Magic Chef Freezers. I looked online and the Home Depot website still has them at $269 (no close out mentioned). Thanks. I hope I am not too late.
Labrat
 
Also, if it is not too late....
the 7.0 cu ft Magic Chef freezers from HD will hold 6 cornies with a collar
8361-keezer.jpg
 
Gonzo,
I live in Longmont and was wondering if you could let me know what HD stores had these Magic Chef Freezers. I looked online and the Home Depot website still has them at $269 (no close out mentioned). Thanks. I hope I am not too late.
Labrat

Just call around and ask for the 10 cf magic chef. I got mine in Canoga Park, but they have them in Glendale and Panorama city. The price is $197. Everything that ends in a 7 is on clearance at home depot. It is not advertised on the website.

BTW, where is Longmont?
 
Longmont is in Colorado just North of Boulder/Denver. I meant to reply to GHart's post since he found several freezers in the Denver Metro area. Thanks for the info. I will let my fingers do the walking.
 
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