Corny Keg Chilling Insulator

Here's an easy build that I put together tonight. I'm going to bring a keg of an APA to an office party next week and don't want to deal with ice, tubs, etc. I poked around and saw some folks doing similar things and came up with the below version. I thought I would capture my approach for others to use as they wish. Cheers, JB.

Parts:
- 1 roll Reflectix (24" x 25') - Lowes, $29
- 4 Igloo Maxcold Ice Sheet (7.5" x 18.5") - Target, $3 x 4 = $12
- 1 45" strip of velcro (I had some laying around; got it at Lowes a while back)

Build:
I set this up as a double wall to provide good insulation and because the roll of Reflectix is huge.
After making one of these I have enough Reflectix left over to make 3 more insulators of equal dimensions.

See pics below.

1. Measure out about 75" of Reflectix and cut.
2. Add two 3-4" strips of velcro to the backside of the ice sheets (see pic below).
3. Peel off the other side of the velcro and position the sheet along one of the long edges
4. Wrap around your keg and make a mark at the top as to where you want to trim the excess. I gave myself room to get ahold of the corny handles.
5. Trim off excess.
6. Wrap around keg again and mark where the end meets (where you will place 'closure' strips to keep it from unraveling).
7. Place at least three strips of 3-4" velcro along the edge (see pic below). Be sure you give yourself some wiggle room in either direction.
8. Because I placed the ice sheets directly next to each other, there was a small gap that I filled by doubling up some Reflectix to achieve the same profile of the ice sheets. I stuck the pieces together using double-stick tape, and then stuck them to the larger sheet using the same. You can see this piece in the top view and in one of the side view pics. I guess I could have just evenly spaced the ice sheets too.



















[keywords: wrap a keg, insulate, keep keg cold, bring keg to a party, travel with a keg, insulate my keg, keg glove, keg cozy]

nice.. I have a bunch of relectix left over from insulating my HLT and BK, now I know exactly what to do with it!

What were the results? How long does the keg stay cold?

shortyjacobs said:

What were the results? How long does the keg stay cold?

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I just built it tonight. Will get back to you on my experience next week. What I read from people who only used the Reflectix is that it kept the keg cold for 4-5 hrs on a hot day of 80-90F (not in the direct sun, I assume).

subscribed... me want numbers!

This is the same material I use around my pot while heating it on the stove. (I have an induction cooktop) I guess I may need to go buy another roll now!

Sorry SWMBO HBT made me do it!

Here is a little trick to make the pour COLD: Coil up 10 foot of beer line, and put it in a gallon ziplock filled with ice. If you are totally adverse to ice, I guess you could put several of those freeze packs in the bag.

Subscribed.

I'm interested in how this compares to a keglove with the ice packs (cost and how long it keeps it cold).

EDIT I see this cost about $45, about the same as a keglove with ice blanket, so I'm more interested in how long it cools compared to the keglove/ice blanket.

Thanks for sharing this!

Cool idea, but you may be better off pricewise to just buy a KegGlove for $32.

Cpt_Kirks said:

Here is a little trick to make the pour COLD: Coil up 10 foot of beer line, and put it in a gallon ziplock filled with ice. If you are totally adverse to ice, I guess you could put several of those freeze packs in the bag.

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Cpt-Kirks, I considered a 'jockey box' approach, but went this route because I think it will be less fuss over time. And, I like to do little DIY projects like this. I convince myself that it's worth the time and effort, and is cheaper than spending the money on a store bought one. We'll see. There's definitely a lot of ways to skin this cat.

Flywheel said:

Subscribed.

I'm interested in how this compares to a keglove with the ice packs (cost and how long it keeps it cold).

EDIT I see this cost about $45, about the same as a keglove with ice blanket, so I'm more interested in how long it cools compared to the keglove/ice blanket.

Thanks for sharing this!

Click to expand...

You're correct on the cost, but I have a ton of Reflectix left over. Enough to make three more. I would just need more ice sheets, which are $3 each. To make three more setups, it would be $36, plus another $10 for more velcro. All totaled, it would cost about $92 to make four of these things. Four keglove with ice blankets would be about $205 (and that doesn't include shipping).

EDIT: I think to make it a profitable endeavor, it would be a nice to make four of these things for you and some buddies in a brew club. If four brewers pitch in the money, it would cost each person $23 for the full monty. Toss in some home-brew drinking and a ball game on in the background, and you've got yourself a good time!

carrotmalt said:

Cool idea, but you may be better off pricewise to just buy a KegGlove for $32.

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They charge extra for the ice blanket ($19.95) and will hit you with shipping.

I'm not trying to save money as much as I am looking to do something as good, if not better, than what's out there. And, as I mentioned, I enjoy doing the DIY projects. I may be saving a few extra bucks, but not enough to retire on!

johnnybrew said:

You're correct on the cost, but I have a ton of Reflectix left over. Enough to make three more. I would just need more ice sheets, which are $3 each. To make three more setups, it would be $36, plus another $10 for more velcro. All totaled, it would cost about $92 to make four of these things. Four keglove with ice blankets would be about $205.

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Oh yeah, I get using stuff you have already, makes total sense. I love the idea, and it looks good too.

Good thinking. This looks awesome.

STATS:

I hauled the beer to the party at 4PM. I wrapped the keg in the new insulator immediately after getting it out of the fridge. The party went until about 8PM and the temp did not seem to change at all. I had great plans to stick a thermometer in the first pint and then in the last pint to get some readings, but that plan never came to fruition. Too many things going on. All in all, the brew stayed perfectly chilled and it worked as expected.

Brew on.

Any updates on how well your keg insulator is doing in this heat? I'm really contemplating making this setup. Also, have you been able to compare to a KEGlove?

I'm either thinking of picking up a 16"x25' roll of Reflectix (~$13@Lowes) or some neoprene as insulation. I'm guessing neoprene will be more expensive but I haven't been able to check yet.

Great build, by the way.

drocu said:

Any updates on how well your keg insulator is doing in this heat? I'm really contemplating making this setup. Also, have you been able to compare to a KEGlove?

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Drocu - I haven't used it in this heat since I haven't had any need to. And, I don't have a KEGlove and can't comment on the performance comparison between the two.

If I had to guess, I would say that neoprene has a higher R value for insulation. Even so, I wonder if it would really have a significant enough impact to justify the cost. If you can get your hands on cheap neoprene it might be a good way to go. For me, the reflectix was cheap, easy to work with and got the job done. And, I seem to always have some lying around.

Good luck and brew on!

One more thing: I just remembered that I doubled the layer of reflectix (see the images). So, whatever the R value is, it's almost doubled.

I've used this setup to great success for my corny kegs. I've had the kegs remain cold/cool for hours with little more than condensate on the inside of the wrap.

Hey Johnnybrew, awesome post. Love the design. I built it the other night, and during disassembly to get the ice packs in the freezer, the Velcro kept coming off of both the ice packs and the reflectix. Any trick to get the Velcro to stick fully? Maybe augment the adhesive with some superglue? Am I the only one seeing this problem?

Thanks again!

srcasko said:

Hey Johnnybrew, awesome post. Love the design. I built it the other night, and during disassembly to get the ice packs in the freezer, the Velcro kept coming off of both the ice packs and the reflectix. Any trick to get the Velcro to stick fully? Maybe augment the adhesive with some superglue? Am I the only one seeing this problem?

Thanks again!

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Hey, srcasko, I've never had that issue, but think a little bit of some type of super glue would likely work well. Good luck!

srcasko said:

Hey Johnnybrew, awesome post. Love the design. I built it the other night, and during disassembly to get the ice packs in the freezer, the Velcro kept coming off of both the ice packs and the reflectix. Any trick to get the Velcro to stick fully? Maybe augment the adhesive with some superglue? Am I the only one seeing this problem?

Thanks again!

Click to expand...

Hey, srcasko, I was thinking about your issue more. Maybe you should use some rubbing alcohol to clean the surfaces that you are putting the sticky side of the velcro on to make sure the surface is clean and oil free? That will likely ensure maximum adhesion of the velcro tape.

Brew on. Jbrew

johnnybrew said:

Hey, srcasko, I was thinking about your issue more. Maybe you should use some rubbing alcohol to clean the surfaces that you are putting the sticky side of the velcro on to make sure the surface is clean and oil free? That will likely ensure maximum adhesion of the velcro tape.

Brew on. Jbrew

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Thanks, i'll give it a try!