Looking to build a Keezer.

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MasterShake

MasterShake

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Hey guys, obviously I am new to this site, but I am not new to beer ;)

quick info on my situation. simply I want to build a keezer, i am pretty handy so I think i can pull it off.

here is the problem, I live in Brooklyn in an apt and hence don't brew very often due to the lack of space and difficulty in controlling temperatures( i hope my keezer will sometimes double as a fermentation chiller)

anyway question is..where to get my keg filled with decent beer. Even if i have my homebrew on tap, i wanted to have a 3 keg keezer so i would need to be able to fill the other 2 kegs with something decent.

anybody know a place? or where to start looking?
 
One option... some breweries use 1/6 bbl kegs that are very similar in size to a corny. They use the standard Sankey tap. Check your local beer seller to see what they can get in this size.
 
jpc said:
One option... some breweries use 1/6 bbl kegs that are very similar in size to a corny. They use the standard Sankey tap. Check your local beer seller to see what they can get in this size.
Click to expand...

already called, they said they only sell to distributers.

I found a place but they only sell 1/2 kegs, too much for me and expensive..
 
http://www.kelsoofbrooklyn.com

I remember reading somewhere that they will sell 5 gallon kegs. It can't hurt to ask them. I can't say I've ever had any of their beer though, so I don't know how good it is.

I'm probably moving to Manhattan within the next few months to be closer to school (I live in Nassau now) and I dread having such little space to brew in.
 
Check out some local brewpubs. Usuly when there serving tanks are getting low or they need room for more beer they transfer to kegs. They should have the ability to fill 5gal cornies.
 
I wanted to go for a tower design, but I dont want to mess around with a lid. My idea was to create a 10 inch collar and then glue wooden top and connect that to the freezer. The question i have is, would I need to insulate the new collar and top, and what could I insulate it with ?
 
MasterShake said:
I wanted to go for a tower design, but I dont want to mess around with a lid. My idea was to create a 10 inch collar and then glue wooden top and connect that to the freezer. The question i have is, would I need to insulate the new collar and top, and what could I insulate it with ?
Click to expand...

When I put a collar onto my chest freezer, I used oak, so that it would be more solid and dense, and then used some of that InsulPink polystyrene from HD/Lowe's. It works pretty well, comes in huge sheets, and you can cut it with a knife.
 
+1 for the local microbrewery. I live outside Chicago and Walter Payton's Roundhouse in Aurora, IL will fill a corny for $30. That's a hell of a deal when six packs go for about $9. They'll even clean/sanitize it for you if you give them 45 minutes.
 
mattjmac said:
+1 for the local microbrewery. I live outside Chicago and Walter Payton's Roundhouse in Aurora, IL will fill a corny for $30. That's a hell of a deal when six packs go for about $9. They'll even clean/sanitize it for you if you give them 45 minutes.
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thanks guys.

Here is a full report. I have contacted my fav regional brewery (Brooklyn Brewery) who directed me to distributors instead. I have found a few distributors but most do 1/2 kegs not 5 gallons. After a bit of searching I found a distributor that claims to fill 5gal kegs with domestic beer..(i hope Budweiser is not considered domestic anymore)

I am still going to call a few micro-brews around here. Bottom line is 1/2 kegs of good beer is not a problem and most distributors carry decent beer in 1/2 kegs. Some do have 1/4 kegs. If anyone is in my neighborhood and is interested I can post the distributors I have been looking at.

my goal now is to purchase a freezer that will be able to house a 1/2 keg and a cornie together with a CO2 tank. Also would 5lb CO2 tank be enough to power 1/2 keg and a cornie. Once I start brewing, I'll probably just have 2 cornies in there. (im scared of anything pressurized, including deodorant..I have a crazy OCD like that :( )
 
MasterShake said:
thanks guys.

Here is a full report. I have contacted my fav regional brewery (Brooklyn Brewery) who directed me to distributors instead. I have found a few distributors but most do 1/2 kegs not 5 gallons. After a bit of searching I found a distributor that claims to fill 5gal kegs with domestic beer..(i hope Budweiser is not considered domestic anymore)

I am still going to call a few micro-brews around here. Bottom line is 1/2 kegs of good beer is not a problem and most distributors carry decent beer in 1/2 kegs. Some do have 1/4 kegs. If anyone is in my neighborhood and is interested I can post the distributors I have been looking at.

my goal now is to purchase a freezer that will be able to house a 1/2 keg and a cornie together with a CO2 tank. Also would 5lb CO2 tank be enough to power 1/2 keg and a cornie. Once I start brewing, I'll probably just have 2 cornies in there. (im scared of anything pressurized, including deodorant..I have a crazy OCD like that :( )
Click to expand...

I don't know what the laws are like in New York, but in Texas, if you are trying to buy beer from a commercial brewery, you must go through a retail channel--a grocery store, for example--instead of directly from the brewery or the distributor. The law is designed to maintain the three-tier system.

However, in Texas, it is now legal to purchase beer directly from brewpubs who do not produce beer for retail (outside) sale, in the form of growlers or, more importantly, 5 gallon corny kegs.

If New York law is anything like Texas law, and I suspect it is in this respect, you're better off going to a retailer or microbrewer.
 
hitbyatrain said:
I don't know what the laws are like in New York, but in Texas, if you are trying to buy beer from a commercial brewery, you must go through a retail channel--a grocery store, for example--instead of directly from the brewery or the distributor. The law is designed to maintain the three-tier system.

However, in Texas, it is now legal to purchase beer directly from brewpubs who do not produce beer for retail (outside) sale, in the form of growlers or, more importantly, 5 gallon corny kegs.

If New York law is anything like Texas law, and I suspect it is in this respect, you're better off going to a retailer or microbrewer.
Click to expand...

In NY you can get kegs directly from distributors. As in they are open to the public. Of course you have to pay a keg deposit and registration deposit, you also have to come in to the place in person and fill out a keg registration form. Also i think you have to return the keg in 1-2weeks. Anyway i just found a distributor that will sell(rent) me 5gal kegs of micro-brew. so i am pretty happy about that :rockin:

Now onto kegerator kits, i am not sure to go with kegconnection or kegworks.com...i dont know either one's quality..so kind of hard to decide for me.
 
Where in Brooklyn are you? The best resource in Brooklyn for anything beer related is Bierkraft in Park Slope. They're amazingly knowledgeable and have more different beers than you'll ever likely see elsewhere. They might fill the kegs, or they might know where you can get them filled. They have draft beers on tap (good ones), and while they don't sell it, the owners are homebrewers and will usually be happy to chat if not too busy.

Wear an old shirt when you go, you may drool a bit.

I used to live 5 minutes from there, and now that I'm in NJ I drive back at least twice a month to pick up beers I can't find elsewhere.
 
thedigitale said:
Where in Brooklyn are you? The best resource in Brooklyn for anything beer related is Bierkraft in Park Slope. They're amazingly knowledgeable and have more different beers than you'll ever likely see elsewhere. They might fill the kegs, or they might know where you can get them filled. They have draft beers on tap (good ones), and while they don't sell it, the owners are homebrewers and will usually be happy to chat if not too busy.

Wear an old shirt when you go, you may drool a bit.

I used to live 5 minutes from there, and now that I'm in NJ I drive back at least twice a month to pick up beers I can't find elsewhere.
Click to expand...

Yes, Bierkraft was the first store i called. I am a regular there and they dont fill kegs or sell them, they only do growlers. While I do always buy beer there they can't help me fill my keezer :(

and yes that store is amazing, my #1 store for anything beer
 
MasterShake said:
Yes, Bierkraft was the first store i called. I am a regular there and they dont fill kegs or sell them, they only do growlers. While I do always buy beer there they can't help me fill my keezer :(

and yes that store is amazing, my #1 store for anything beer
Click to expand...

Wow... I'm surprised they couldn't at least point you in the right direction. I do love that place... :rockin::ban:
 

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