finally moved to kegs (after bottling for 10 years)....behold my first Keezer!

[Unicorn_Platypus]

So...brand new to kegging, but been brewing 10 gallon batches for the past 10 years and bottle conditioning. I finally decided to start kegging because I've been unsatisfied with how quickly my hoppy beers oxidize after bottling. Figured that kegs and closed transfers are the way to go to for those styles. I plan to dry hop in purged kegs (with closed CO2 transfers) and bottle via bottling gun when desired. Hopefully my OCD proves right and creates better beer!

picked up most of the parts from keg connection

My talented craftsman friend did a beautiful job on the collar (ok...I didn't actually build this part, but I designed the setup. Give me a break...I'm a NY City boy )

• cheapo Best Buy brand 10.2 cu " chest freezer
  
• Fits 6 kegs
• 5 faucets (intertap forward sealing flow control)
• intertap ball lock adapter for faucet (easy cleaning, transferring, and can hook up bottling gun directly to faucet)
• taprite dual pressure regulator
• 5 way distributor (for most serving kegs at single pressure)
• 3 way distributor (for other pressure...in case I've got a belgian or something)
• 2 way distributor CO2 utility line on outside of keezer (for bottle gun, purges, transfers)
• oetiker clamps & MFL on just about everything (will probably get some QDs for some of the connections in near future. What do you guys recommend?)
• in line check valves for all gas disconnects (mostly because I'm new and bound to F' something up or overfill a keg at some point during a closed transfer)
  
• clear beer draught system to use for lagers and dry hopping (pulls from top of keg)
• dehumidifer & fan for inside keezer
• Blichman bottling gun

Overall, not bad for my first setup ever & in a small NYC apartment! People tell me now that I'm married...i need a bigger apartment. To which I tell them..."There's plenty of room in the apartment for both a keezer and a wife!"

Next post will include pictures of beer & new bling on keezer. Currently have a rice lager lagering / carbonating. I'm using magnets to display the beer labels.

Also ignore the busted high pressure gauge. It broke during shipment & I've been too lazy to install the new one. No leaks and doesn't really serve a useful function

 

[Blazinlow86]

Looks great. I like how you painted the collar to match and I actually prefer white appliances to black

 

[shoengine]

I like the color matching. Good job.

 

[Konadog]

I have that same freezer for my keezer, might be cheap but I haven't had any issues with it yet and it holds 6 kegs on the floor! I only went with 4 taps and have problems keeping them flowing.

 

[oakchips]

Looks like a fantastic build, popping over the pond to NYC in Sept, looking forward to seeing the Elephant [emoji16]

 

[Genuine]

Great job!!

 

[gunhaver]

Man I've bottled 2 batches and I'm ready to keg. Can't imagine 10 years of it. Looks great

 

[Blazinlow86]

I literally bottled a single 5 gallon batch. Never since then and I'm well equipped to bottle it's just such a pain in the ass

 

[lschiavo]

I literally bottled a single 5 gallon batch. Never since then and I'm well equipped to bottle it's just such a pain in the ass

Exactly what I did. I would have quit brewing ten years ago if I knew I was going to have to bottle for ten years.

 

[shoengine]

I literally bottled a single 5 gallon batch. Never since then and I'm well equipped to bottle it's just such a pain in the ass

That's definitely more effective than figuratively bottling a single batch!

 

[Neilyboy]

Lookin' real good! I am about to build one myself.
You have a problem with window air unit theft in the area? I couldn't help but notice the padlock and bars on your window unit.
Great looking keezer bud!
Neil

 

[Jako]

Man I've bottled 2 batches and I'm ready to keg. Can't imagine 10 years of it. Looks great

i had the same thought i made it about a year 10 and a half months. i got a brew kit for my birthday from my wife then a year late she got me a kegging system.

this build is great i love that you ran co2 outside for the beer gun and other odds and ends. i might try to do this for myself setting up my beer gun as of now is a bit annoying.

 

[Fifthplanecomin]

Ooo - I like the idea of the additional gas manifold on the outside of the collar. I had been keeping a spare gas line inside and just opening the lid for when it was needed....I might steal that idea for my next build.

 

[BrianDorry55]

Great post! Halfway through my build right now.

Two questions...

1) how are you liking that fan?
2) what temp regulator did you go with and how is that working out for you?

 

[Unicorn_Platypus]

Great post! Halfway through my build right now.

Two questions...

1) how are you liking that fan?
2) what temp regulator did you go with and how is that working out for you?

1) fan seems to be working fine. Don't even have it mounted. The screws that come with it keep enough space off the ground for airflow. No issues with warm tap lines or foaming.

2) Went with the wired controller below. I tape the probe to one of the kegs (insulate the probe with a papertowel and duct tape. Set it at 38+2 and it runs maybe every 25 min.

https://www.homebrewing.org/Ranco-E...ital-Temperature-Controller-Wired_p_6073.html

 

[Unicorn_Platypus]

Exactly what I did. I would have quit brewing ten years ago if I knew I was going to have to bottle for ten years.

I hypothesize that bottle conditioning sometimes still has benefit, but for hoppy styles and lagers kegging is much better. Oxidation with a bottling bucket (even with best practice) was driving me crazy on dry hopped beers.

Now, if I ever plan to bottle condition I will use the keg as my bottling bucket. I plan to experiment with keg conditioning using priming sugar too. So far, the ease of carbonating via CO2 tank has taken precedence over experimentation. But I do plan to try it in the future.

Btw...I've had great success with burst carbonation. 40 psi for 24 hours (after beer is chilled) then burp keg and switch to serving pressure. This has been especially awesome on the dry hopped styles as I've never been able to taste a carbonated dry hopped beer so fresh. IPAs are drinkable 3 days after being hooked up to gas. For more delicate beers like pilsners or fest biers I do notice some carbonic acid after burst carbonation, but then it mellows after some time. Carbonic bite doesn't seem to be as perceptible on the hoppy styles in the early stages.

The clear beer draught system with hops screen is a bad ass way to dry hop in the keg. Toss the pellets in there commando and dry hop for 3 days at room temp. Gently roll the keg on its side a few times a day (and flip keg upside down to rightside up) for maximum exposure. With only 2oz of dry hop I feel like I extracted 4oz worth vs. if I had just tossed into a carboy and let sit.

 

[Unicorn_Platypus]

Lookin' real good! I am about to build one myself.
You have a problem with window air unit theft in the area? I couldn't help but notice the padlock and bars on your window unit.
Great looking keezer bud!
Neil

ground floor in a manhattan apartment. Gotta have the padlocks and bars for security. Don't want anyone stealing my beer!

 

[Unicorn_Platypus]

Some recent pics of the setup including...

what's on tap
closed transfer from primary (via co2) to keg with dry hops
bottling gun
new t-shirts and bling for keezer

Unicorn Platypus is an IPA with Belgian yeast (dry hop = columbus, nelson, mosaic)