Possible to make a 2+ tower kegerator from 5l mini-kegs?

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Timber

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I been thinking, it might be a lost cause but some insight would be apprecciatted. I dont have the space to get a full kegerator setup or a keezer, but I been thiking about a tiny fridge stting on the kitchen counter that holds about 3 or 4 5l kegs wiht taps on the outside of the door. Is this a possibility of creating or not, I have read a few threads where people have put CO2 in these, but they are all the little cartridges and they end with the little gun.

So thanks for the feedback!
 
So, you want to build a refrigerator to refrigerate those little Heineken kegs?

1. Can you even put homebrew in those? (or do you not intend to)

2. You could do it, You could go with those small 2cf dorm fridges and go from there, probably fit 2 of those kegs in it and it'd be easy as pie.

Word to the wise, this post was written while under the influence of sleep deprivation and alcohol.
 
It depends on how good you are with improvising, as no one makes adapters for the 5L kegs to standard beer and CO2 setups. I had a 5L setup and many of the parts were a friction fit with no relief valve. I'm certain I could have kludged something, but equally certain it would not have been worth the effort.
 
I don't know about a gas setup, but I've been considering doing a single or dual Beer Engine setup with Mini Kegs and an RV pump. Of course, oxidation will be a factor there if you don't consume them quick enough.
 
I use an Avanti Mini Pub for my 5 liter mini kegs. It's basically a mini kegerator, and yes you can use it for home brew. It just sits on top of my bar.
I also have a 3 tap regular keg system, but the mini keg system works for special small batches, and sometimes I can buy the kegged root beer to use in it. it keeps the kids happy.
 
Those 5L kegs are a LOT of work for a LITTLE beer, IMHO.

3 gallon kegs are much better, but they are pricey.
 
really NOOB question here, but in reality there is no need to chill the whole keg. In-line chiller, with the 5 gal cornies under the sink, lines run thru an in-line chiller, and a tap in place of the sink sprayer......
 
Not mine:

http://forum.northernbrewer.com/viewtopic.php?t=61167

I would change the small piece of copper tubing the beer flows out through to stainless.

For me it would be a nice addition to the kegerator to have more variety with less space and possibly for a portable kit to take out to the inlaws - I would probably fill the 5L from a regular keg before going out.
 
... Heineken kegs?

1. Can you even put homebrew in those? (or do you not intend to)

...

The Heineken (and newer Newcastle) mini kegs are not suitable for re-use but there are a lot of commercial beers like Warstiner, Bells and others that use the older "regular" mini kegs. You can also buy new/unused mini kegs at most good homebrew shops http://www.midwestsupplies.com/mini-keg.html .
 
Timber said:
I been thinking, it might be a lost cause but some insight would be apprecciatted. I dont have the space to get a full kegerator setup or a keezer, but I been thiking about a tiny fridge stting on the kitchen counter that holds about 3 or 4 5l kegs wiht taps on the outside of the door. Is this a possibility of creating or not, I have read a few threads where people have put CO2 in these, but they are all the little cartridges and they end with the little gun.

So thanks for the feedback!
Did you end up doing this? I am planning the exact same setup using the tap design posted over on Northernbrewer (linked above). I am going to use those DIY taps plus a standard (cheap model) CO2 regulator with 20oz paintball cans of gas.

I don't have room for a whole fridge, nor cash for cornies, and primarily I want to do this because I recently decided to start brewing smaller batches - 5 gallons is a lot of beer for me. 3 gallon batches minus trub should fill 2 5L kegs, plus maybe a tester bottle or two, so this is perfect for me.

Plus, I can reuse the expensive parts (regulator, faucets, etc) later if I decide to build a full-size model, and can keep the 5l taps for portable/cooler kegging, etc.

So, if you've done this, let us (me!) know, and I will do the same as I move forward, which will be this fall.
 
Took me a little while to find this via the search button here. I have been thinking about this exact setup due to money/space restrictions. Plus, I have a fascination with miniature things i.e. mini kegs, netbooks, ukuleles and backpacker guitars. So, I have a mini-fridge back in Houston I've been meaning to bring up here. I would love to have 2-4 taps of mini kegged goodness in the corner of the apartment so let us know what you decided to do. My personal plan would be, per 5gal batch, fill 1-2 mini kegs and bottle the rest so as to save time when bottling, but also be able to share with friends while I'm out. It took me a good while on The Google to find that link to the northern brewer DIY setup, but I'm sure I could do it once I get some cash on hand. Keep us updated.
 
I use the 5L in a portable setup and as an extra keg in my kegerator. Mine hooks up to a paintball tank.

DSCF5434.jpg


Do a search for minikeg DIY and you will find several different designs.
 
Impressive improvising. I thought of this about 3 months ago, then gave it up and went for the full fledged keezer.

Nicely done. Handy for a portable setup.
 
Looks nice, what would you say the price estimate on that was? And I also wouldn't mind seeing the portable setup you mentioned.
 
Here is my portable setup:

Soft cooler with wheels and pull up handles
- holds 2 - 5L minikegs with frozen soda bottles to keep cold (good for weekend - pack friday and use friday and saturday. I need to refreeze ice bottle for a long weekend or it gets a little warm, but not bad.
- paintball tank travels in front pouch
- homemade tap
- cobra tap in top - able to put ice packs to use like a jockey box

DSCF6339.jpg

DSCF6337.jpg

DSCF6336.jpg
 
Here is my portable setup:

Soft cooler with wheels and pull up handles
- holds 2 - 5L minikegs with frozen soda bottles to keep cold (good for weekend - pack friday and use friday and saturday. I need to refreeze ice bottle for a long weekend or it gets a little warm, but not bad.
- paintball tank travels in front pouch
- homemade tap
- cobra tap in top - able to put ice packs to use like a jockey box

Nice!, well done sir.
 
really NOOB question here, but in reality there is no need to chill the whole keg. In-line chiller, with the 5 gal cornies under the sink, lines run thru an in-line chiller, and a tap in place of the sink sprayer......

I have thought at length about doing something like this. I even had the first steps at putting together a simple proof of concept using peltier coolers and some massive heat sinks designed for watercooling CPUs.

The short version is that the energy required is massive. If you want to get decent flow rates through the chiller (30 seconds was about the limit of what I would wait to pour a pint), it was going to require a ton of energy.

Back of the napkin calculations...you're saying that you want to chill a full glass of beer from 70 to 40 in 30 seconds. That's roughly 32kJ of energy in 30 seconds which would require a 1kWatt cooler operating at 100% efficiency. You can find 400W or 500W peltiers, but then you have to sink the heat generated on the warm side of the junction. They typically run at 15V, so you need a power supply capable of generating ~70A at 15V.

So the electric version gets nasty really quickly.
 
really NOOB question here, but in reality there is no need to chill the whole keg. In-line chiller, with the 5 gal cornies under the sink, lines run thru an in-line chiller, and a tap in place of the sink sprayer......

It is possible... but not practical for a few reasons. #1 being the un-pasteurized nature of our homebrew. #2 being that you need slightly more than 1/2 HP (roughly 1/2 tonn) of refrigeration required to go from room temp to suitable drinking temps. Not to mention getting the control system setup to keep the beer form freezing inside the chiller line. I did just such a thing for my senior design project at purdue. Here's an unfinished picture:
16141_883753014848_13735265_50133453_587800_n.jpg


Your other option would be to have a small freezer to keep a cold-plate iced, and that would lower your tonnage requirements because it wouldn't be an "on demand" cooling system. But you would still be looking at building a custom refrigeration unit. Not to mention dealing with perpetual aging and constantly active yeast.
 
I found this older post and wondering if anyone has actually completted a 2 tap mini keg mini fridge unit? I am researching this exact idea. I am very limited on where I can put a kegger (besides the garage or unfinished basement). Plus I have the wifes permisdion for a mini unit (most important). Also I am thinking of the business opportunity in selling the kits if it works, those mino kegerators are not cheap and the reviews are not great. Besides they are all single tap units. Think of all the poor aptartment bound homebrewers who can't keg, it's my mission to help them.
 
I use to have a small kegerator that I had a 5L in as well as cornies. Could have easily used all 5L's.

DSCF5437.jpg
 
I use to have a small kegerator that I had a 5L in as well as cornies. Could have easily used all 5L's.

DSCF5437.jpg
 
Couple questions, What psi did you keep it at? What's up with the white fittings in the beer line?
 
It held up to regular serving psi usually 10 to 12. The white fittings are quick connects 1/4" I think. They sell them for gas but they work for liquid as well. I had them so I could take the tap put and clean it. They are on the gas side as well.
 
I've made a 2 tap mini kegerator with a tabletop mini fridge. I ran some vinyl to a 5lb co2 tank and split the line leading into two kegs (riveted larger gauge lines). I then have a T brass fitting with a 1/2 inch barbed fitting going into my mini keg (fits perfectly into rubber stoppers on 5L kegs).

You then have to have a 5/8 inch vinyl line running from the bottom of the keg (like a typical sanky) out of the opposite side of the T valve to your taps. You can run the line through the freezer portion for extra chilling if you'd like. The name of the game is to force co2 into the solution without it escaping anywhere else.

photo.jpg
 
Sacchattack - This is pretty much then exact set-up I'm aiming for. Can you show us more of the outside of the kegerator (how the taps look) and give a rough indication of how much this cost?

Many thanks!
 
JonBrew..

I'll just unload some info on you, but have been using this little system for about 6 months now and it is still working very well.

Pros:

-5l mini kegs are 1.3 gallons and are an easy alternative to bottle condtioning
-Can force carbonate on tap system
-Good for 2-5 gallons batch sizes
-Provide about 10 pints are keg
-Fit in a little tabletop mini fridge, and can fit on a bartop

Cons:
-If your friends drink more than a few, you need more than a few mini kegs
-Might find yourself swapping kegs out more than you thought
-A little bit more tedious to clean
-Probably costs as much as a 5 gallon corny keg set-up

Parts list:

-4 (1/2 inch) plastic,brass or stainless barbed fittings (~2 bucks per for brass)
-2 (1/2 inch) plastic,brass or stainless T fittings (~7 bucks per for brass)
-2 (2-3 foot) 5/8 inch vinyl (food grade? probably doesn't matter though) (~10-12 bucks a roll)
-1 (about 4-X feet) 1/2 inch vinyl for gas-in line (4-10 bucks)
- A gas splitter (1/2 inch barbed t fitting) (~3-4 bucks)
-2 tap assemblys (~40-50 a tap)
-1 Co2 canister (do your homework on this one, but anything under 50 bucks for a shell is a steel for a 5lb canister)
-1 regulator (preferably dual gauge ~30-70 where you get it)
- A bunch of hose clamps (50 cents a piece)
- 2 line out 1/2 inch brass fittings (gotta get creative with this one, goal is to let beer out and keep the gas in, will explain more later)

1st step: Gas In

Running some vinyl tubing from a gas canister of any size (paintball tank to 5lb tank work i hear) to the line in side of the T fitting. This will take a little bit of playing around to make fit and may require some fitting then pulling apart a couple times. 1/2 inch vinyl tubing connects pretty well with the regulator's threaded fittings pretty snuggly, i used a hose clamp just in case.

image 4.jpg

(Image 4 on attachments)

Step 2: The T fitting, gas in and liquid out

The image will pretty much explain the gist of it. The key here is to let the gas come in through one vinyl line from the tank. Your other vinyl line (beer out) will slide through the brass fitting inserted into the rubber bung on the top of your 5l mini keg. The bottom of it (beer line out) will extend to the bottom of the keg to the barbed fitting on your tap assembly. The image has blue dots showing that the gas will envelope the whole T fitting, but a barrier will prevent the gas exiting by constricting the space around your beer line-out.

Basically the pressure of the co2 will push the beer to the bottom of the keg where the only exit point is the beer-line out --> to the tap assembly.

image 3.jpg

Attachment image 3

Step 3: Tap Assembly in fridge door

ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS be careful where you put a screw in a fridge. There are simple tests (IE corn starch) to figure out where the freon lines are in the fridge. Puncture these and your project is worth nothing! Using a 1 inch drill bit, i drilled some holes for the tap assemblys, and the assemblys provided all the washers and nuts to hold the tap onto the fridge door. The vinyl beer out line connects to a stainless fitting on back of the tap.

Side note: Do not let any brass make extensive contact with the beer due to the lead content that is found in brass. Ever since the dawning of man, people know that lead just does some crappy stuff to your body. Since my brass fittings are only in contact with the gas, i hypothesize that the long term effects won't be much worse than a couple big macs.

Image 2.jpg

Attachment image 2

Last step 4: Tap assembly on exterior of fridge door

Tap assemblys are pretty self eplanatory, but check it out. Give her a full yank and let the beer flow. These tap assemblys always require an extensive interior cleaning due to all the nooks and crannys that bacteria can hang out in. Don't be the lazy guy serving diacetyl bombs due to nasty tap lines.

Image 1 revised.jpg

Attachment image 1

Not sure how the images will show, i'm pretty new to the site. Hope this all helps though. Cheers to the little kegs!
 
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