Beginning Plans for Bar Build

[MrShake]

I'm planning a bar in the basement, I have a few wants and an idea I want to run by you guys.

I want the bar to have a 2 tap tower on the bar, but I want to use a keezer setup with a couple other taps on a collar. Here is my thought:

I was thinking of using coper tubing wraped in insulation to run the beer lines in to run between the collar and the tower and leaving a section of coper tube exposed inside the keezer to keep the lines kool.

The top of the bar (or possibly lower shelf depending on bar height) would have a removable section to allow the freezer lid to open to change kegs/clean.

The bar top itself will be poured resin over playing cards and bottle caps, with the rest of the room decorated with collections of magic props that I already have. (I'm a semi-pro magician)

Any thoughts on the tower setup?

 

[FSR402]

So the kezzer will be under the bar? How you going to open it?

 

[pjj2ba]

At the bottom of the page linked below is how I cool my beerlines. Very similar to what you want except my upright fridge is next to the bar. My beer lines run through 2" flexible tubing with a small fan to blow cool air over them. Everything is encased on every side with 2" of styrofoam

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=51790

 

[MrShake]

The top of the bar (or possibly lower shelf depending on bar height) would have a removable section to allow the freezer lid to open to change kegs/clean.

Hehehehe

 

[rdwj]

At the bottom of the page linked below is how I cool my beerlines. Very similar to what you want except my upright fridge is next to the bar. My beer lines run through 2" flexible tubing with a small fan to blow cool air over them. Everything is encased on every side with 2" of styrofoam

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=51790

That's a pretty slick set-up. Do you find that the first couple pours are just as cool as the rest? Anything you would do different?

 

[FSR402]

Hehehehe

How I missed that I have no idea.. I'm also not sure that would be a great way to go. But I don't have time right now to throw out any other ideas.

 

[Kramman]

im currently looking to do the same setup and trying to figure out this part as well. only thing that i can think of so having the faucet on a stationary part of the bar, so the "lid" of the bar wouldn't actually move the faucet when your moving kegs/ cleaning

i was also thinking some flexible ducting if the faucet were to be on the lid part and doing the whole fan method

 

[sirsloop]

Why bother with the hassle of cutting this bar all apart when you can just get yourself a 4912 minifridge that will hold two cornie's? If you want more than two kegs, put some wheels on the freezer so it can be easily pulled out, and ditch the tower idea. Put all of the faucets on the collar. You'll need to invest in an expensive cooling system if you plan on putting the tower in anyways... or you'll need to rig up some fancy fan system. PITFA... both the tower and the removable bar apart.

 

[pjj2ba]

That's a pretty slick set-up. Do you find that the first couple pours are just as cool as the rest? Anything you would do different?

I wouldn't do anything different. I get a little bit of foam with my first pour, but that is because I get some gas coming out of the beer as it sits overnight in the lines - even in the fridge where it is cold. My first pour starts fine, then a second later it "burps" and then flows fine. I've noticed no difference in temperatures between pours. I'll have to stick a thermometer in the top of the tower into the airline to see what the temp is in there. I'll have to wait until summer though. Right now the basement (aka giant lager chamber) is hovering around 50 F and the beer fridge is set at 48 F so there is no point is testing now. Even in the summer though, I didn't notice and temparture differences

 

[MrShake]

Its not that I haven't considered that, but there are a couple of things that keep me from going that route

1. Cheaper/Free Freezer from Craigslist or Classifieds
2. I REALLY want a tower (for looks)
3. I want to have 2 kegs on the tower, and room to have more on the collar if I wanted, so the sanyo is to small.

I know it sounds like a PITA, but I have a good buddy who LOVES to do woodwork and builds like this, and he has tools. Someone on here had a tower cooler that used copper tubing sticking into the keezer a bit that kept the copper cool and therefor cooled the tower. I'm wondering if the length needed here would keep that from working with the right amount of insulation.

 

[brrman]

Here is my bar - a resin poured top (over wood veneer) with a tower sitting atop a Kenmore Elite fridge. This was extremely simple to set up and looks and works great.

Not the best picture of the setup, but there's no fooling with removable sections of a bar, etc...

 

[MrShake]

Stunning man!!! I love it!

 

[FSR402]

Here is my bar - a resin poured top (over wood veneer) with a tower sitting atop a Kenmore Elite fridge. This was extremely simple to set up and looks and works great.

Not the best picture of the setup, but there's no fooling with removable sections of a bar, etc...

Can I get some info on the "resin poured top "? Like what you used and where you got it?

 

[brrman]

I bought it at Menards. It was called Envirotex Light. The instructions are pretty good. It was my first time ever doing it and I had a couple mistakes that I intend to fix later, but I needed it done for my wedding last summer so I had no time for fixes.

FSR402, PM me if you want any details on my procedure, etc... Be glad to help.

Here's a couple other pics.

 

[FSR402]

I bought it at Menards. It was called Envirotex Light. The instructions are pretty good. It was my first time ever doing it and I had a couple mistakes that I intend to fix later, but I needed it done for my wedding last summer so I had no time for fixes.

FSR402, PM me if you want any details on my procedure, etc... Be glad to help.

Here's a couple other pics.

Man that looks great. I need to finish my bar some day (it's only been 13 months since I started building it) and I was wanting to do a top like that but with wine corks and bottle tops and bottle labels under it.

 

[pjj2ba]

I'll add my tips here for pouring epoxy finishes. I'm doing this on part of my bar. I need to add another coat still

Things I learned the hard way:
Make sure the surface you are finishing is warm
Same goes for the epoxy mixes. Put the mix components in a bucket of warm water for 30 min. prior to mixing.

Warm mix + warm surface = good even flow and good self leveling.

If you want to spread the stuff, use something as wide as the surface you are finishing to spread it. It doesn't need to be fancy. I used a piece of shoe box that I wrapped in a layer of aluminum foil, making sure there were no wrinkles along the botttom edge.

Edges are a pain. I haven't quite figured this one out yet. I'm going to try and "brush" on a thin layer. Upside down in a mold would be great, but that ain't gonna happen

Pour in several layers. One more to go for me to fix up my learning mistakes.

 

[jldesign]

FSR.... - nice bar

http://www.precision-images.com/homebarplans.htm

check these out if you want some type of sectional bar. simple and cheap to build. look at the photos of finished ones not a bad start. I have not seen or built one FYI just had this bookmarked

 

[FSR402]

FSR.... - nice bar

http://www.precision-images.com/homebarplans.htm

check these out if you want some type of sectional bar. simple and cheap to build. look at the photos of finished ones not a bad start. I have not seen or built one FYI just had this bookmarked

Those look nice.
A guy in my office had some cabinets that he was going to throw out. I took them but had to cut them in half to get them in my basment.
They sat there for about 6 months (we never use the basment) then a week before Newyears I was told that I was housing the party that year. So in one night I took them from some old nasty looking cabinets that were just sitting in the middle of the room to this.

It was useable for the party but a LONG way from done.
I still need to reface the cabinets, pipe in water, put in a sink, add in a keggerater next to it, finish the trim work, finish the top (by the stools) and put a top on it in the back.
I just have so much other stuff that keeps me busy and money is tight (love the automotive ind. in Michiagn) so I can't bring myself to spend any money on it yet. And like I said, we never use the basment anyways (my keezer is in the garage).

 

[MrShake]

GREAT discussion, but can we get back on topic?

I still want to have a tower on the bar, and use a keezer as part of the bar? Will the copper-pipe-as-a-heat-sink type of cooling work with the length I'm thinking of??

 

[sirsloop]

Ok, for your tower you'll need some insulated conduit, a fan enclosure, and means to pump cold air from the bottom of your freezer up into your tower. Another option would be to modify a PC watercooling system to act as a hoembrew chilling system. You would just need a pump, resevoir, and the $9/ft insulated 2beer/2glycol lines from micromatic.

 

[MrShake]

So, the general consesus is that the Copper-Tube-As-Heatsink won't work? I have no issues installing a fan, I've got plenty laying around.

I had also toyed with the idea of building an insulated box into part of the collar to contain beer lines. Along the same idea as the cooling boxes made from dorm fridges.

 

[MrShake]

Holy Time to ressurect an old thread.. hahaah

In case anyone cares... I did start building a bar. I'll have to denote the build in a new thread I guess.. but here is the "frame". This a view from what will be the back of the bar. the right hand side is for the keezer.