The Misfits Of Brewing Science

bernerbrau said:

Was thinking 2x6, solid insulation on the inside, spray foam insulation where the shanks go.

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I went with the 2x6 and foam board inside and used corner braces to attach the lid.

bernerbrau said:

Was thinking 2x6, solid insulation on the inside, spray foam insulation where the shanks go.

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Mine doesn't have shanks, so a 2x6 would be preferable for you. I really don't see the need for spray foam or any type of insulation in a chest freezer. Especially when the have open topped ones sitting in a grocery store.

But, it's up to you. I definitely would go with foam board if you must, I wouldn't trap shanks/lines in with spray foam.

wildwest450 said:

I definitely would go with foam board if you must, I wouldn't trap shanks/lines in with spray foam.

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I agree. Although I didn't use fancy shiny Perlicks, just the regular chrome faucets, I didn't want to trap my shanks or lines in with great stuff. You could use some cotton balls if you really want, but an air gap (obviously blocked off on both sides) is a great insulator.

maffewl said:

Looking good Tbesst!

I just finished mine as well. (Well, minus the drip tray...)

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Did you do a build thread on your keg fridge? I really like it. I am primarily interested in where the taps are mounted. What is going on there?

Also what wood should I be using for the collar? I figure pine is probably too soft.

I just used a standard 2x4/6(spf pine), I also mitered the corners and used angle brackets to strengthen. There's 50 different ways to do it.

Here's a pic of the corner at the hinge, if that helps.

Don't have a circular saw or a miter box... Garage is too damn small. I was thinking I'd just screw them together, unless brackets would be preferable.

bernerbrau said:

Don't have a circular saw or a miter box... Garage is too damn small. I was thinking I'd just screw them together, unless brackets would be preferable.

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That's fine, if you want to get fancy, just countersink them and fill with putty before painting. I screwed mine together too, I just put it on the freezer and squared it to the top, then used 2 brackets to hold it square while the glue was drying.

wildwest450 said:

That's fine, if you want to get fancy, just countersink them and fill with putty before painting. I screwed mine together too, I just put it on the freezer and squared it to the top, then used 2 brackets to hold it square while the glue was drying.

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Oh hell, this thing is sitting underneath the garage stairs, among spider webs and moldy cinder block, next to my lawn mower and bags of tile grout. I didn't even think I was going to paint it let alone cover up the screw heads.

It should be quick and easy, get to it!

Oter said:

Did you do a build thread on your keg fridge? I really like it. I am primarily interested in where the taps are mounted. What is going on there?

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Thanks! I didn't do a thread... it was a pretty simple project. I got the taps for $14 from KegCowboy through this deal. Although it looks like he doesn't have any with handles anymore.

As for the build, it was an old stand up freezer that my mom had that was rusted out, so i sanded the rusty spots smooth and painted with Chalkboard Paint from Lowe's. I built out a box to hold the taps because they are "tower" taps and the shanks are way too small for a fridge, but hey, I'm not arguing since they are such a great price.

Here's a pic of the tap "box".



Here's the underside.



Here's the inside of the freezer.



As you can see, nothing too fancy. There is a couple of inches of line exposed to room temp air on the 2 outside faucets, but I haven't noticed any problems. I mounted the box to the freezer with 4 bolts as you can see. I also supported the backside with a piece of poplar and the front side is 2x4 pine base with poplar as the finish boards. Also, I just wrapped up paper towels to fill the gaps between the lines, then duct taped the hole so air couldn't pass through. I've had this thing built now with steady use for 2 and a half weeks and couldn't be happier with the results. Let me know if you got any more questions.

Nice. Thanks for the post. I think the box makes it look better. I may do this with my current beer fridge. It's not drilled or anything yet.

I agree that the box gives it a different look that most of my friends seem to like. However, you will need to figure something out for a drip tray. I've been using buckets on the ground, which has worked fine for me. But at some point, I'll probably need to build one and it will need to stick out far enough to reach under the taps. Just wanted to give you a heads up.

Nice looking kegerator. Which one of those taps is I Can't Believe It's Not Butter?

wait, when did it become okay for stevo to make butter jokes? ;p

Just ordered rhizomes. Picked up Zeus, Nugget, Newport, & Willamette. Had to cancel my order at NB because they had no idea when their orders would ship. So I called freshops and they said my order would ship today. I am getting tired of looking at an empty hop garden.

I preordered Cascade, Centennial, & Galena rhizomes. It will be my first attempt at growing hops.

I pre-ordered too, and they were supposed to ship the first week of march. Stuff happens, but I didn't want to wait any longer.

I got 8 crowns from GLH's and got in on the arrowhead hops preorder with 6 rhizomes. One of the cascades from Great Lakes grew about 3" since yesterday! Arrowhead said they weren't shipping till end of march beginning of April, which is fine since I know they won't do that much this year any way. And most varieties don't prefer this cool wet weather we've been getting anyway. I've got 1 cascade and 1 centennial doing great the other 6 are sluggish especially the English. Ive been having problems out of my english yeast too. Go figure. Bloody Bustards.

Stevo2569 said:

I got 8 crowns from GLH's and got in on the arrowhead hops preorder with 6 rhizomes. One of the cascades from Great Lakes grew about 3" since yesterday! Arrowhead said they weren't shipping till end of march beginning of April, which is fine since I know they won't do that much this year any way. And most varieties don't prefer this cool wet weather we've been getting anyway. I've got 1 cascade and 1 centennial doing great the other 6 are sluggish especially the English. Ive been having problems out of my english yeast too. Go figure. Bloody Bustards.

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The English will get better after St. Paddy's Day!

I'm brewing a version of Two Hearted on Sunday. I just acquired 2# of centennial and cannot think of better way to start the usage. Anyone else brewing this weekend?

We have talked about a competition at our get togethers, but we never decided on anything. The first Misfits of Brewing Science competition will be for 1 beer style, an APA. That's right an American Pale Ale. The cost will be $5 to enter and will need to be in a 12 oz brown bottle. We will need you to make arrangements to get you bottle to me by May 1st.

1234 said:

We have talked about a competition at our get togethers, but we never decided on anything. The first Misfits of Brewing Science competition will be for 1 beer style, an APA. That's right an American Pale Ale. The cost will be $5 to enter and will need to be in a 12 oz brown bottle. We will need you to make arrangements to get you bottle to me by May 1st.

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Is this seriously a thing? I may need to re-brew my house pale then.

I'll be brewing up an American Sour Ale this weekend for the first time. Basically an APA recipe feremented with only Brett. C and I'll be hoping it with all Citra, ala Zombia Dust.

Who would be judging this Misfits competition? Why by May 1st?

Carter5112 said:

Who would be judging this Misfits competition?

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1234 said:

The first Misfits of Brewing Science competition will be for 1 beer style, an APA. That's right an American Pale Ale.

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That rules out Bobby being a judge... he has a 15 IBU limit.

May 1st because that is what I chose.

I doubt I can have one ready by May 1st... We should give at least 2 months notice for those who can't brew immediately, but you're call if you want to judge.

To ensure that we get as many people involved in our group as possible I have decided to push the date back to June 2nd. I think the first Saturday in June should allow for more folks to brew a beer and have it fully aged by that time. It may even allow a couple of folks to brew with the new hops, should be here by the second week in April.

I am planning on hosting the tasting/competition at my place in Hendersonville, it seems to be a half-way point for a lot of folks. I am hoping we will get as many of us into this as possible. We have about 30-40 folks who have been in the group buys or have posted in this thread.

Here's my submission for the Inaugural MOBS Competition...



And... I saw the Sam Adams commercial and had to give it a try with my Pale Ale (which floated 2 pints later). It's not the gigantic head that it seems to be, that's the distortion of the camera angle... if you have a Sam Adams "perfect" glass... you know.

1234 said:

To ensure that we get as many people involved in our group as possible I have decided to push the date back to June 2nd. I think the first Saturday in June should allow for more folks to brew a beer and have it fully aged by that time. It may even allow a couple of folks to brew with the new hops, should be here by the second week in April.

I am planning on hosting the tasting/competition at my place in Hendersonville, it seems to be a half-way point for a lot of folks. I am hoping we will get as many of us into this as possible. We have about 30-40 folks who have been in the group buys or have posted in this thread.

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I can contribute brews, but cannot make the June 2nd date. I will be out of town on business.

bernerbrau said:

Is this seriously a thing? I may need to re-brew my house pale then.

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Has to be. He's charging $5.

Installed my collar and SS faucets this weekend. Everything seems good, except I get a ton of foam out of them on the initial pour. My guess is the lines, being higher up, aren't getting as cool as the kegs.

Should probably rig up a 9V with a case fan or two to get air circulating better.

Hey, I worked on my keezer this weekend, too. I picked up a black Firgidaire 7.2 cu and put a collar on it. We just finished a remodel of an upstairs bath and had some tile left over and used that on the collar and lid. I looks really cool, all black and white. I'm going to need to get some more spring loaded hinges because the lid weighs a ton.

How long are your beer lines?

beerkrump said:

Hey, I worked on my keezer this weekend, too. I picked up a black Firgidaire 7.2 cu and put a collar on it. We just finished a remodel of an upstairs bath and had some tile left over and used that on the collar and lid. I looks really cool, all black and white. I'm going to need to get some more spring loaded hinges because the lid weighs a ton.

How long are your beer lines?

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Two of them are 5 feet, and one (the one I built myself) I really don't remember so it's probably anywhere between 5 and 10 feet.

I was thinking I'd drop a couple of those swirly things in the beverage out dip tubes and see if that helps.

The $5 fee will be a part of the winner's take.

bernerbrau said:

Two of them are 5 feet, and one (the one I built myself) I really don't remember so it's probably anywhere between 5 and 10 feet.

I was thinking I'd drop a couple of those swirly things in the beverage out dip tubes and see if that helps.

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Those epoxy mixers are amazing. It's like adding five feet to your lines. Necessary if you are going to try to push anything that's really carbonated like a wit or Belgian ale.

beerkrump said:

Those epoxy mixers are amazing. It's like adding five feet to your lines. Necessary if you are going to try to push anything that's really carbonated like a wit or Belgian ale.

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Do you use 1 or 2 per keg?

Just placed my order for a 10 pack of those mixers with Grainger. We'll see if this fixes my foam issues.

bernerbrau said:

Do you use 1 or 2 per keg?

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1 per for anything under 3.0 volumes.
2 per for 3+ volumes (Hefes, wits, and lambics)

I run about 6' of beer line and have my CO2 set between 12-15 lbs.

Oops. Double post. I blame the IT department.