SWMBO is angry!!

I scored a Sanyo 4912 on craigslist for $90 to use for fermentation, and on the way home I mentioned to SWMBO that all I need is one more for a kegerator. She got really upset with me because our apartment is small, and my beer stuff is taking over.

I guess this raises a few questions:

Once the kegs are in the fridge, and being consumed, can I disconnect them for a few days to use the fridge for fermentation? I think this is the only way I can make this situation work in my limited space. I can be without draft beer for a few days at a time, but I don't want to harm the beer. Will this work? I have a temp controller already, and my plan was, to use the first fridge for fermentation and crash cooling.

I've been dealing with damage control all afternoon, and trying to diffuse the situation.

Well...this is the perfect time to ask yourself if this woman is really worth this hassle. If the answer is yes, you may need to keg later. I'd rather have the cool fermentation chamber than the beer on tap.

You could always knock her up...then you'd need to get a bigger place.

BigKahuna said:

You could always knock her up...then you'd need to get a bigger place.

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I'll second that!

Sea said:

I'll second that!

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Ok guys, I appreciate the replies and she IS worth the hassle, but kids are out of the question for a fews years, so let's get back to the beer!

It won't hurt to disconnect the kegs for a few days to use the fridge for fermentation. Then after fermentation has stopped you could condition outside of the fridge (assuming you have someplace that is not terribly warm). hook the kegs back up and unless they leak they'll still be carbed.

The only issue with this is that you will want to have really clear beer going into your kegs, I'd suggest a secondary, or use a keg as secondary and do a pressure transfer, with all the moving of your kegs you'll kick up sediment.

I asked mine about getting a kegerator and there was a nasty look and she got upset.

Mine mentioned space requirements also. I have a two bedroom and the spare room has 5 bikes, 4 skateboards and lots of tools and spare bike parts... there is two computer desks in the apartment and we dont have a lot of room.

I'm going to collect the parts for my kegerator and then just get a fridge one day and let her deal with it.

Keep her happy by getting rid of stuff you don't need / use... thus freeing up room. Don't hit her up for getting it again till you've had time to clean up, let the dust settle and then just get it.

Option B is to buy her a nice pair of shoes and order the kegerator.

This is exactly what happened to me! I scored a Sanyo 4912 on Craigslist for 80 bucks and two weeks later I find one for $50!! That crazy seller left me no choice but to buy it and deal with the consequences later. I tried to explain to her that I would only be plugging the second one in for fermentation only, forgot to mention that I still need to buy a temp controller. I figure I can stash it somewhere out of the way whenever its not being used to ferment.

Eyes are bigger than the stomach eh?

I am not sure what stage you are at. So I take it you have been bottling? If that is the case, then get rid of all your bottle stock. You'll lose flexibility, but will gain space. Kegs take up much less space than bottles. Limit yourself to 2 in the fridge and then have 2 more for conditioning/storage. That way you only ever have 2 out. 2 fermentation vessels max...maybe look into just keeping 6 gallon BB, that way they can serve either fermentation or conditioning. How bad is temperature control in the apartment?

I'm not so sure you can fit a carboy into a 4912, what with the compressor hump and everything...

Best thing to do, is let her brew with you. SWMBO and I brew together, and it is really fun. She used to ony like wine and hard alcohol but I showed her the light.

SWMBO is resisting my attempts to get a keg fridge as well. She'll come around. There's plenty of room in the basement, which is quickly becoming the "dad zone", what with the skis, golf stuff, bikes, and brewing gear.

Evan! said:

I'm not so sure you can fit a carboy into a 4912, what with the compressor hump and everything...

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As a matter of fact, I fit a 6 gallon Better Bottle in my 4912 with no problem. I even have a bunch of stuff stored on the inside of the door. With a 5 gallon carboy, I have enough headroom for the upper shelf inside too!

How tall are they? Can you stack them? Might need a chair to pour a beer though

Baron ken said:

How tall are they? Can you stack them? Might need a chair to pour a beer though

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They're only about 3 feet tall so you could definitely stack them although you might need to make a shelf to support the second one. If I find a deal on another one, I'm planning on stacking mine.....

Have fun lifting up the kegs into the kegerator once they're full and connecting things! It is a good way to deal with space though. Or offer to build a cabinet to go around them with a nice countertop. That way it won't look like your beer stuff, it'll look like nice furniture.

SWMBO used to help me bottle. She did not want me to have a kegorator. One day while we were bottling she said there has to be a better way to bottle this beer. Now she is happy not to help me bottle and I have a kegorator.

At the moment, our apartment is small, but relatively cheap. It's sort of hard to leave it for a bigger place, because our commute to work is so short, and the place is pretty cheap.

With that said, I proposed a compromise to SWMBO. I'm going to build a unit that will house the 4912 on the left, and leave enough room for a wine rack on the right, all wrapped in maple, with a nice top, tower and faucets. I'll just have to use the fridge for fermentation, and a kegerator. Someday, I'll get a dedicated fermentation fridge.

I'm going to get rid of my current wine rack, as I will no longer need it. If possible, I'll incorporate enough storage for all of my wine glasses, and beer glasses.

Your apartment may be small, but your parents probably have a house, and it probably has an extra room or a garage.

Remember: your parents only exist to support you.

JWHooper said:

Your apartment may be small, but your parents probably have a house, and it probably has an extra room or a garage.

Remember: your parents only exist to support you.

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Sadly, my parents live in Boston, about 450 miles from DC. Believe me, if they were close by, I would have quite the beer cellar.

Hey Seawolf, sorry you are having friction over it! I'm lucky in that Red loves my beer paraphernalia, but I still wanted to build something that would look nice in any setting. Even though it was a lot of work, it was worth it in the end. I think your idea for making a sharp looking enclosure for it is a great way to go!

Good luck

Jester369,Thanks, she's warmed up to the beer stuff for the most part. I mean, I have a big wire shelving unit in the dining room for most of my equipment, and grains. She's even gotten used to the mini fridge, and certainly won't mind pulling a pint from my kegerator when it's done. She really respects the hobby, but hates our small apartment and the fact that I've taken over a few areas with my beer stuff. Once we find a bigger place, it'll be gravy. Red seems like the best ever.