Kegerator -VS- Keezer! What to build?

I have decided to jump head first into homebrew and I know that I will not be happy bottle condition my brew. So........... I will be making either a Kegerator or a Keezer. I plan on having 2 brews on tap at all time, (5 gal corney's). I would also like to Lager at some point. Any pros or cons on either type. Thanks in advance.

Kegerator (mini fridge) if you want space and portability. It's a more discreet rig for if you want to put it in the house or apartment. Keezer if you're serious business and brew all the time and can manage up to 3 or more taps at once. Keezers are also good for the garage, but would probably stick out too much inside the house if not placed next to or in a bar. Some people use their keezer for a fermentation chiller as well.

This will stay in the garage. I really like the look of some of the keezers, but I am not really down for the taps so low. Who knows, it all dispenses liquid golden Love all the same.

I went with a keggerator for space and I wanted an extra freezer. Full size fridge, can fit 6 cornies with the CO2 tank on the outside.

Build may be the key word here. I bought a readymade kegerator and hate it. Crappy fridges make crappy kegerators.

I went with the kegerator because I found a fridge for free. It fits 4 cornies on the inside, and I have 2 taps on the door. In the freezer I keep cold glasses and extra hops.

Keezers are generally thought to be more power efficient, and MAY give you more flexibility with really low temps if you think you may want to lager. Some fridges can get really cold, but I think it taxes them more to do so/maintain. Also, you can mount a tower with taps to the top of the keezer's lid--you don't have to mount them through the collar...

I've had both and I love my keezer way more than my kegerator. Not even a question. Check out craigslist and you can find a freezer for cheap. I put two towers on top with 2 taps on each tower. 4 beers on draft at all times.

I went with the keezer. Regarding the taps being so low, mine sits on a dolly I made that sits another 6 inches off the ground. The taps are a good height with this and I can push the keezer around in my garage super easy. It literally takes one hand to pull it off the wall, get behind it, etc... When I have parties, I push it so its right against the door into the house. That way, people don't need to actually go into the garage to get a beer.

Keezer gets my vote. Had the kegerator and did not like it. Was hard to juggle three kegs inside always having to take one out to get to the back. Did not run as efficiently as the keezer. If you go with a large freezer you can section off part of it and maintain different temps. See http://www.oregonbrewcrew.com/freezer/freezer.html for some ideas.

For me, it all comes down to the cost. If you can find a free freezer or fridge, then take it and you have your answer. They both get the same job done, and if you only wish to have a couple beers on tap, space is not really an issue. I found a cheap 3/4 size refrigerator on CraigsList for $35...not too old, fairly clean, and worked. Chest freezers were going for $100 and up in my area on CL, or $180 and up in the store. The cheap one wins!!!

A fridge is a deal because you do not have to add a temperature controller. For a freezer, you have to buy at least a cheapo controller or you'll blow up your kegs and have beer popsicles. With both fridges and freezers you'll need to do some modifications if you want to add taps on the outside. On a fridge, this is as easy as drilling a hole or two in the door and perhaps adding a couple small pieces of wood as backing to tighten those shanks against. With a freezer, you'll have to add a wooden collar and/or drill a hole in the top for a tower setup (which will also be more $$$).

For me, cost was most important followed closely by capacity. I can fit 5 kegs in my $35 CL fridge, which is plenty of space. I have 4 taps on the outside, with another keg either lagering or chilling/carbonating. The attached freezer is also great for storing hops, specialty grains, and chilled mugs for those cold beer people. Just my 2 cents. Good luck to you in your kegerator adventures!

Pics of my adventure: http://picasaweb.google.com/benuntu/KegeratorPics#

TwoHeads - I like your finished product. Question, why the 2 Co2 lines coming into the refer? Is the single for force Carb'ing a new batch? Also is there a reason why you have the pressure Reg's outside? Is is just ease of operation?

Thanks for all of the comments from everyone. Still really on the fence though.

my vote is a kegerator just for the simple fact of not having to get a temp controller. i have a mini fridge converted into a kegerator have a tower system that cost about five bucks to make the tower made out of pvc pipe. in my pics it only shows it when i only had 1 tap but i now have two taps on the tower.

heres a link to my thread that has pics of the process of converting a mini fridge
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/my-kegerator-58183/

BurkedUp said:

TwoHeads - I like your finished product. Question, why the 2 Co2 lines coming into the refer? Is the single for force Carb'ing a new batch? Also is there a reason why you have the pressure Reg's outside? Is is just ease of operation?

Thanks for all of the comments from everyone. Still really on the fence though.

Click to expand...

I have a dual pressure regulator, one is set to 10psi and one is at 30psi for carbing. The serving line goes into the fridge and 4-way distribution manifold, while the carb line is just connected to a QD. Two reasons why the reg is outside:
1. The air line has a HUGE nut on the end which cannot be removed, so the hole I would have had to drill in the fridge would have been 1". The high pressure hose is only 1/2", so I would have had a lot of space to fill in.
2. Adjusting the pressure is a lot easier from the outside, and I don't have to open the fridge to do it.

Basic pros to freezer:
Flexibility to add a collar and front faucets, or go with 1 or more towers. Collars give a nice solid surface to mount things like regulators, distributors, etc. Open the lid, access to the entire area. Opening the lid loses less cold than a front door. Typically quieter than commercial kegerators and they don't mind being stored in garage climates. Typically better insulated than a fridge/kegerator.
Basic Cons to freezer:
Lids need a lot of room (behind) for opening, esp. with towers. The walls are usually fully lined with refrigerant lines so no drilling. You have to lift your kegs to get them in and out. If you have faucets in a collar, they are closer to children and dogs. Freezers get some condensation when they are kept above freezing, but air circulation and/or damp rid helps. Freezers aren't usually the most attractive appliance but you can find them in black, most of them are white. I had mine skinned in stainless to blend in with the kitchen more, but I have a friend in the sheet metal business.

I had a commercial beverage air 3 door 2 tower kegerator and the space was amazing, but it was LOUD and took up a lot of space. It also was a power hog. It died, and a replacement compressor with install was $800.
A new freezer with a thermostat was $250 or $300, so you can imagine where my money went. I took the towers etc from the big unit and scrapped it.
Five 5g and one 3g fit in my freezer but it can be a tight fit. Having 6 taps from a smaller footprint is great.
That's my take on it.

TwoHeadsBrewing said:

I have a dual pressure regulator, one is set to 10psi and one is at 30psi for carbing. The serving line goes into the fridge and 4-way distribution manifold, while the carb line is just connected to a QD. Two reasons why the reg is outside:
1. The air line has a HUGE nut on the end which cannot be removed, so the hole I would have had to drill in the fridge would have been 1". The high pressure hose is only 1/2", so I would have had a lot of space to fill in.
2. Adjusting the pressure is a lot easier from the outside, and I don't have to open the fridge to do it.

Click to expand...

I would also add that you would have more room in the frig bottled biers and cokes plus you can use larger Co2 and Nitrogen mix gas bottles if externally placed. Filling 150 cu/ft bottlle is a lot cheaper to fill in the long run on the Co2 and Nitrogen mix bottles. No moisture with corrosion problems on your regulators over time mounted outside.

Thanks for all the input. I guess it's up the CL gods what I end up with.