Alaska keezer build... My first attempt

[wncbrewer]

How heavy is the freezer top with the tile? That is the main thing that scared me away from tile in my build

 

[907_fellow]

I have read forum posts saying they are waterproof and some saying they aren't. People have ran them for years in water/gel with no issues. Just to clarify, I have a Johnson's digital temp controller. Not real sure which route I want to go now...

 

[907_fellow]

The top is heavy, I won't try to argue that. I hesitate to say that is entirely the fault of the tile, as I ended up having to put 2 peices of plywood on the top to recess the top of the bolts I sent threw the freezer lid. If I made another trip to town to get the proper hardware, I wouldn't have had to do this, but I am lazy. The coffin may also be overbuilt, as I could have got away without using 2x4"s. All and all, I plan on putting some kind of actuators like on the trunks of SUVs. That is farther down the line, I just want it to flow beer right now!

 

[HootervilleHops]

I saw a manual thermometer the other day that was quite nice. It is a food termometer stuck through the cap of a liquid yeast package (tube with a screw on plastic cap) that was filled with glycol.

Why couldn't you do the same with the temp probe? It would take alot of the temp swings out of the temp sensing.

This was being sold for beverage fridges.

 

[907_fellow]

That would work. I'm just not sold on the idea of placing the probe in the water as the best way to controll the temp properly. I have a dual probe thermometer I am using the monitor both the coffin as well as the bottom of the keezer. It would seem placing the thermometer probes in water and monitoring those temps while leaving the Johnson's probe in the air would be the best method. At that point, it will be just tweaking the temp set point to get my thermometer reading where I want them. If that makes any sense...

 

[TheKeg81]

That would work. I'm just not sold on the idea of placing the probe in the water as the best way to controll the temp properly. I have a dual probe thermometer I am using the monitor both the coffin as well as the bottom of the keezer. It would seem placing the thermometer probes in water and monitoring those temps while leaving the Johnson's probe in the air would be the best method. At that point, it will be just tweaking the temp set point to get my thermometer reading where I want them. If that makes any sense...

You could try paint some clear nail polish on it, or spraying it with multiple coats of clear spray paint. That should seal up any tiny holes that could introduce water. Or maybe try coating it in petroleum jelly?

 

[907_fellow]

Did a little work on the coffin tonight. Here you can see my fan set up. One pullin air into the coffin one pushing air back down inside. Serious amount of air gets moved with this set up.


Here is the back of my keezer, with my temp controller, power strip for fans and LED light, as well as dual probe thermometer.


And finally, the insulation I put in the coffin.

 

[907_fellow]

Planning on finishing the trim tonight after work and continuing to apply polyurethane. Will post more pictures later.

 

[907_fellow]

Threw the rest of the trim on tonigt. Got the first cost of poly on the bottom of the keezer. Also, finished the coffin insulation as well. Decided to put my temp probes inside the ice pack gell. Seems like a good idea. I placed the gell inside some glass chemistry containers an sealed the probes inside with shoe-goo. Guess we will see how that works.


I cut out a spot in the insulation and have the container recessed down inside. It's snug and won't move when the lid is lifted to access the inside of the keezer.

 

[NocturnalEMT]

keep up the good work...really enjoyed building mine.

 

[907_fellow]

Added the 3rd coat of poly last night. Everything is done as far as I can go until my parts arrive from KEG COWBOY. It was suppose to ship yesterday but still haven't hear from them. An the wait begins..

 

[Hoppopotomus]

Beautiful! Nice work!

 

[907_fellow]

Another question... How often is everyones freezer cycling per hour? For how long is it on? I have the Johnson's temp controller with my set point at 37 degrees. Just curious if anyone has logged this info on there coffin-keezer set up.

 

[907_fellow]

Guess that's not too much of a concern. Keg conversion kit should be here in the next couple days... Super pumped.

I now have a growing desire to start home brewing and fully utilize my keezer to its full capacity. I have been reading up and looking at starter kits but haven't found one that has made me full the trigger. I want to have atleast 2 glass carboys and primarily go right to kegging rather than bottling. Maybe bottle a 6 pack out of each batch to throw in the crawl space and keg the remaining brew.

 

[wncbrewer]

I never really paid much attention to how often my keezer cycled until you asked. I heard it kick on last night and run for 4 or 5 minutes, didn't hear it again all night, but I was drinking and the olympics were on. That said, my analog johnson only has a 4 degree differential, so it would be more if that was tightened up some.

Congrats and welcome to the homebrewing community. It would almost be a shame not have homebrew on tap in such a nice keezer. This place is a wealth of information

 

[907_fellow]

Ya my differential is set at only like 2 I think. It kickes on every 10 minutes or so for 4-5 minutes. Once it's full of kegs, it will probably help my cycling and I could loosen up the differential as well. Just so my freezer doesn't take a s-*t

 

[907_fellow]

Got bored tonight. Built a holder for my co2 tank out of wood. It just wedges in tight, not fastened to the sides of the freezer but it doesn't move because it's wedged in so tight.


You can see my thermometer probe as well as my temp controller probe mounted on the side of it as well. They are just electrical taped into a couple 25 ml chemistry containers with nothing inside them right now (water/ice pack gel). Might do that later if I decide to go that route.


One question... I had my keezer running empty for a week and noticed about a 1/4 of frost around the top half of the keezer. Does anyone see any issues with having my co2 tank right up against the wall of the freezer? Will the co2 get too cold??

 

[907_fellow]

Does anyone see any issues with having my co2 tank right up against the wall of the freezer? Will the co2 get too cold??

 

[wncbrewer]

My tank has lived inside my keezer with no issue. It is also right next to the freezer wall. One thing to consider though .. temperature will affect your regulator gauge, more specifically the gauge that reads tank pressure. As the tank cools, the gas will contract and the pressure will read low even though there is plenty of gas in the tank. In my experience, my tank pressure gauge reads pretty much the same regardless of its level until right before it runs out, which usually only happens in the middle of a party or bbq. I can usually get around 10-15 5 gallon kegs out of a tank depending on carb level and what beers I'm running. You should also google draft line balancing. Having balanced lines helped a lot with head retention and my chase for the "perfect pour". I cant remember the formula off the top of my head, but there are online calculators to help you figure how long and what diameter your lines should be given the tempertature of your freezer, keg pressure, and headspace between your kegs and taps.

I like to serve at 12 psi at 38 degrees, so for me I could either run 1/4" lines at nine feet of line or 3 feet f 3/16" line. I went with 3/16 because I didn't want to have a mile of beer line wrapped up inside my freezer. I hope I didn't make this sound overly complicated, it really isn't. It will make a huge difference in the quality of your pour though. If a google search doesn't yield anything helpful, let me know and I will try to dig up the calculator I used...cheers...wnc

 

[907_fellow]

Very informative information there. Very much appreciated. I have the basic concepts down so some of the more advanced ideas is exactly what I am looking for. I kinda see it like I have spent a lot of money to make this keezer so at this point, I want everything to be as good as I can possibly make it. I have embarked on the never ending quest for the "perfect pour" haha.

 

[wncbrewer]

Yeah I certainly understand that, and having balanced lines is something that is very easy and cheap compared to other parts of the build. Did your stuff ever come from keg cowboy? They have great prices but are notorious for agonizingly slow shipping and poor communication. These days I get all my draft supplies from micromatic. A little pricey, but their stuff is first quality

 

[907_fellow]

It finally shipped Monday but yes I have been dealing with both the issues you mentioned regarding them ha. The reason I went with them was that they were one of the few that offered semi-reasonable shipping rates to Alaska. I will be ordering a bunch of home-brew supplies from someone in the near future and might go a different route. We will see.

 

[907_fellow]

Well Christmas came early today! Keg cowboy 3 tap conversion kit arrived today and looked great. Also got a new 5lb cylinder with the kit as well.


First attached the faucets and shanks and attached my beer lines.



Next, i got everything situated inside the keezer. Screwed the distribution block to my co2 holder and hooked all my lines up to my low profile taps.


And finally, made a trip to the good ol' liquor store. First beer, 1/6th barrel of Alaska brewing company's summer ale.



Lunch time tomorrow I will get my co2 filled and have my first pour will be immediately after work!

 

[BeardedIdiot]

Nice! The first beer I tried in Alaska was their Amber Ale. It was pretty good. Also went on a craft beer tour (more like stumble) around Anchorage one time. I don't remember what breweries we tried, let alone what beers .

 

[wncbrewer]

Looks great all finished up, but I want a pic of that first pour

 

[907_fellow]

First pour will be tonight. Pic will follow!

 

[907_fellow]

Oh and I ran the calculations for my beer lines. Regulator set to 10 psi, keezer at 38 degrees, rise to faucets is about 24", beer line is 3/16ths, and a 1 psi residual at the faucet. Figured i want a co2 volume in my alaska summer ale at about 2.5 so it came out to be 2.96 feet. This means I will need to cut off about 24" from my 5 foot beer lines, so I might do that first before I pour.

 

[907_fellow]

First pour!!!!

 

[user 103238]

Congrats! What are you serving for it?

First pour!!!!

 

[907_fellow]

I'm drinking the 54 beers in the 1/6th barrel my self this weekend. That's what I am serving for.

It's Alaska brewing company summer ale