Ben's Keezer Build

[bmellis]

After reading a lot of people's keezer build threads I have decided to start my own. I will be updating this thread from time to time as I get time to work on my keezer.

So for a long time I have wanted an antique, or at least really classy dark hard wood liquor cabinet. But I have never found one that I both liked and could afford, and of course they are never built to handle draft beer. After being inspired by many of the keezers I have seen in this forum, I have decided to stop looking for a traditional liquor cabinet and build a liquor cabinet with built in draft capabilities.

As I live in NYC and space is a commodity in my 350 sq. ft. studio apartment (I'm not kidding), the biggest concern is making this thing as compact as possible. I bought a GE 5.0 CF chest freezer from Home Depot. It is only 20.5" deep with the hinges removed (part of my design) and 28.25" wide. The height is 33.25" I think, but I'm going to be putting a 2x10 collar on it to make the bar top and interior space higher. It may sound hard to believe, but see the pic below, I will have four 8" diameter ball lock corny kegs, a 10 lb CO2 tank with dual regulators (hooked up to a 2 output and a 3 output distributor), and a 5 lb CO2/Nitrogen tank. Basically I have to build a little platform on the base of the freezer that will allow one keg to hang halfway off of the compressor ledge. The CO2 tank (in the top left corner) will also be on a platform and strapped to the freezer wall, so that the regulators will stick out over the top of the keg to its right. Space will be really tight inside the cold space, but I'd rather it be tight in there than in my living room/bedroom.

I will have four taps. I don't actually have the Nitrogen set up yet which is why I have CO2 distributors with a total of 5 outlets (one to be used with a carbonator cap so my girlfriend can have seltzer and for other purposes). So the bar top will be about 43-44" off the ground and will be black granite (probably). Above that will be the taps, which will be attached to the back wall of the cabinet (the lines will run in refrigerated pipes coming from the collar). Above the taps will be a shelf which will contain my (future) liquor collection, and then above that will be a place to hang glasses. I plan to have a stainless steel back splash, maybe a mirror behind the liquor shelf part, and some recessed lighting for effect. I'm going to build the frame with poplar, but I'm going to use some nicer wood on the outside, perhaps soft maple, which will be stained dark. The total cabinet dimensions will be roughly 32" wide, 26" deep, and 6'6" tall. Basically it's going to look like someone cut out a portion of a wood bar from a pub.

I'm still hammering out the design, but I plan to start construction this week (I'm still waiting for parts to come in). I'll post pictures here as I go along. Wish me luck.

 

[Guntr]

Sounds interesting. I like your ideas for a compact self contained drinking unit. Are you putting it on wheels of some sort for portability?

 

[bmellis]

Yeah, there will be caster wheels. I'm going to have to find some small, but heavy duty ones because they're going to have to fit into the air space between the outer cabinet and the freezer, not directly under the freezer. I don't want wheels to be visible from the outside, nor do I want the height to increase much. I'll probably put it on wheels and make it so it sits a half an inch off the hardwood floor and like I said, the wheels will be recessed into the airspace and thus covered.

 

[dudasaj]

Is the upper cabinetry and glass storage mounted to the keezer lid? I have been considering a similar design with an over hanging counter top for bar stools, a cabinet with a wine rack, and a enclosed shelf for spirits. I am concerned that it will be excessive weight if it is mounted to the keezer lid it could damage the hinges.

I was considering a fixed shelving unit that the keezer rolled inside/underneath of and flexible beer lines would run up into the cabinet where the taps are mounted.

 

[bmellis]

Is the upper cabinetry and glass storage mounted to the keezer lid? I have been considering a similar design with an over hanging counter top for bar stools, a cabinet with a wine rack, and a enclosed shelf for spirits. I am concerned that it will be excessive weight if it is mounted to the keezer lid it could damage the hinges.

I was considering a fixed shelving unit that the keezer rolled inside/underneath of and flexible beer lines would run up into the cabinet where the taps are mounted.

The keezer lid will be independent of the upper cabinet. Originally I was going to put the lid on some sort of track, like a kitchen drawer, so i could slide it on and off and remove it entirely. This would just be the lid by the way, the collar will not move with the lid. The tracks would mostly ensure that the lid was always properly aligned.

But now I'm thinking that I don't even need the track. I will probably just make it so that the edges of the lid fit firmly and flush against the interior walls of the cabinet so that when you set the lid down on the freezer/collar opening it won't have room to move and gravity will hold it down. That way I'll just be able to lift the lid up and remove it entirely from the unit. The chest freezer already seals through gravity alone, the hinges just make sure the lid is in the right place. So if the cabinet hugs the lid right, it will always be sealed.

I have the lid removed from the freezer right now, and it only weighs 7 lbs. Once I attach a wood counter top to it and thin granite tiles it shouldn't weigh more than 15 pounds, which should be light enough that the lid can be removed easily. Without an attached lid it will be much easier to access the contents of the freezer. And of course, there won't be a problem with the faucets/rest of the cabinet rotating back into the wall.

I'm also considering what another poster was asking about, and that is to do away with the lid the freezer came with altogether and build one out of wood. This way you could have a lid that only covered, say, the first half of the freezer. I don't think I will do this because the removable lid option seems easy to implement and also the original lid will insulate better. I also want unobstructed access to the freezer interior since the space is going to be tight as is.

 

[bmellis]

I had a chance to work on my keezer a little this weekend and some tonight. I built the collar twice on Saturday, and took it apart twice because I couldn't get the damn thing square. I finally realized that the edge the lid sits on slants slightly inward. So I rebuilt the collar directly on top of the freezer and let the front and back boards lean inward with the angle of the edge. It is built with douglas fir 2x10s. I used lockite adhesive to permanently attach the collar to the freezer and wood glue where the wood pieces touch. I then finished off the seams with silicone, so hopefully there won't be anywhere for air to escape. Note that I'm not using the collar to mount the taps. It's just to add height inside the freezer. Also, I've decide to not use the original lid and instead build a lid out of wood, which will shave some height off and help with lid alignment issues. Here's a few pics of the collar (quality due to Blackberry camera):

I then built a base for the freezer to sit on:

And here is the freezer sitting on the base:

I'm not going to put casters under the base because I'm trying to minimize the height. I'm going to have vertical 2x4's running from the collar to the base that will serve as spacers to separate the freezer from the outer hardwood. The freezer manual says there should be a 3" clearance, but I don't have enough space to allow for 3" on all sides, and the compressor isn't going to run that much in the first place. So with the 2x4 and the 0.25" overhang of the collar, there will be 1.75" clearance--good enough for me. I'm going to run a 2x4 horizontally about 2" from the base on both sides of the freezer and I'm going to mount small Acme ball casters on these 2x4's, which will hide them inside the air space. This will allow easy moving of the cabinet inside my apartment with minimum height increase.

After I add the vertical 2x4 spacers I'm going to add vertical posts in the back corners that will provide support for the back of the cabinet, the shelf, and the wine glass hangers. I'm going to make it so that I can disconnect the top part of the cabinet from the freezer part, which will make it easier when I move to a new apartment in September.

Here's a pic of the inside of this 5.0 CF freezer with 4 cornies and a 5 lb CO2 tank with two regulators. It's a VERY tight fit, but it fits. In the pic above I calculated space using an 8" diameter corny (can't remember where I found that measurement), but mine are all 8.5" diameter, so I unfortunately won't have room for a Nitrogen tank. I'm thinking about running low pressure gas lines to tanks and regulators that I can keep in a nearby closet, but that will be a future project.

I'm still working on the design of the hardwood veneer/trim, but hopefully I can get this thing done within two weeks.

 

[JuanMoore]

Looks good so far. I have that same freezer that I plan on converting to a keezer in the next few weeks. I've gathered all the parts I need except the kegs and disconnects. I had read that cornies have a 9" diameter, which led me to think I could only fit 3 kegs even with a tall collar, so I'm excited to see that I can actually fit 4.

 

[bmellis]

Looks good so far. I have that same freezer that I plan on converting to a keezer in the next few weeks. I've gathered all the parts I need except the kegs and disconnects. I had read that cornies have a 9" diameter, which led me to think I could only fit 3 kegs even with a tall collar, so I'm excited to see that I can actually fit 4.

I believe pin lock kegs have a 9" diameter, but my ball lock kegs are exactly 8.5".

Make no mistake, the four kegs and CO2 tank barely fit in there. In fact, I have to give the CO2 tank a firm push to get it to fit in the hole in the back-left corner of the freezer (and it has made a slight, but harmless dent into the side wall). But it's worth it for me, because I don't I have the space for the additional 6-8 inches of width that comes with a 7.2 CF unit. I don't plan on opening the freezer or changing kegs often, so I can deal with it.

 

[hlumbard]

I just received the same freezer as well. Right now I just have my keg hooked up with a picnic tap. I think I'm going to go the route of a small collar with the taps coming out the front. Good job on this one though!

 

[bmellis]

I just received the same freezer as well. Right now I just have my keg hooked up with a picnic tap. I think I'm going to go the route of a small collar with the taps coming out the front. Good job on this one though!

It's a good freezer, very quiet and cools quickly. If you never plan to have more than two kegs then a small collar will work great. But if you want to put one or more kegs on the hump, then you need a 2x10 collar, or possibly a 2x8, but I think that would be pushing it.

 

[SatelliteGuy]

For someone who can measure without having to go to alot of trouble emptying it, what are the dimensions of the bottom area of the freezer? Would 3 x 9"kegs fit into the bottom, no (or small) collar, with a 5# CO2 bottle on the hump?

 

[bmellis]

The total interior space is 23" x 15.25", the part below the hump is 15.5" x 15.25". The freezer is about 27" deep at the deepest and 17.5" deep to the hump. I can only fit 2 8.5" ball lock cornies on the bottom part. That's why I have the 2x10 collar--with the collar I have about 28-29" of depth at the hump, but that doesn't take into consideration how far the lid sticks down past the edge. So two kegs fit on the bottom part, and one keg fits squarely on the hump, and the other hangs off. You could fit three 9" kegs with a collar, but not four.

 

[JuanMoore]

Check out the first pic in this thread. It's a sticky in the bottling/kegging forum.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/sizing-your-chest-freezer-corny-kegs-75449/

 

[bmellis]

Here are some updated pics of my latest work. I decided not to use the freezer's original lid because it added too much height and it would have been too difficult to attach the bar top onto it and make it square. So I got a piece of 3/4" birch plywood and cut it to fit into the opening. I put some 1x2 poplar strips inside the collar to support the new lid and added weather striping for insulation. Here's a look inside:

The gray wire coming inside the freezer from the back part of the collar is the temperature probe for my Johnson Controls thermostat. You can also see that I put screws into the collar that will allow me to use the basket my freezer came with.

Here is a pic with the lid on:

I may add foam board insulation to the bottom of the lid, but I'm not sure I need it. The collar and the lid don't really get cold to the touch so I think they're doing the job well. The compressor doesn't kick on very often either.

I also added the two front corners which will create an airspace between the freezer and the facade of the cabinet, which will be attached later. Here are two pics:

Soon I'm going to add the back corner boards/spacers. Then I will add the top part of the cabinet. I'm going to design it so that the top part of the cabinet bolts on and can be easily removed. This thing is already heavy, so that will help whenever I move to a new apartment.

I'll post more pics as I get work done.

 

[bmellis]

I just wanted to add that the lid won't be hinged on. I want to be able to completely remove the lid for the best possible access to the freezer and so I don't have to worry about keeping the lid propped up when I need to access the inside. There is going to be another piece of wood on top of this lid that will span the entire width of the cabinet and come farther forward. It will be finished wood, hopefully with some black granite. The plywood lid was cut perfectly so it fits snuggly and the finished lid will not move around or slid off.

 

[murphyslaw]

Wow. I've been working with the same problem you face, kegging in a small apartment. I wanted to fit at least 3 kegs, but the extra 5-7 inches of the 7 cu ft was making that tough. Good to know that this freezer can fit 3+ kegs with a collar, I think I'm going to go ahead and buy one.

Keep the updates coming!

 

[boneshb]

I$ really interested on how this comes out! That is the freezer I was looking at, my only concern was catching the shanks on the inside with the kegs when pulling them out, how's it working for you?

 

[bmellis]

I$ really interested on how this comes out! That is the freezer I was looking at, my only concern was catching the shanks on the inside with the kegs when pulling them out, how's it working for you?

That's not an issue in my design, because the taps and shanks are not attached to the freezer or collar. I'm building a cabinet, so the taps will be on the back wall of the cabinet and the beer lines will just be feed through the back of the collar, up behind the wall of the cabinet, and then through the cabinet wall where the faucets will be attached.

If you're just going to have the faucets coming out of the collar, then you'd have to use the shortest shanks that would fit (the collar isn't as thick as the freezer wall, so you have room) or make it so that you could remove one keg and then slide the other ones in to a position that would allow you to remove them without hitting the shanks.

 

[boneshb]

That's not an issue in my design, because the taps and shanks are not attached to the freezer or collar. I'm building a cabinet, so the taps will be on the back wall of the cabinet and the beer lines will just be feed through the back of the collar, up behind the wall of the cabinet, and then through the cabinet wall where the faucets will be attached.

Oh jeeze, I knew that I've read and drooled over your idea for a while now, sorry to ask! I cant wait to see how yours turns out, and thanks for your input on the shanks. I'll see what I can do, maybe build the collar so the front sticks out a little more to give them some extra room.

 

[brianj434]

any more progress. This is my fantasy build!!

 

[bmellis]

I haven't been able to work on this for a while now, it's kind of sad. Though I have been enjoying cold beer on tap. I just moved last week to a bigger apartment. I'm now redesigning this to be a larger/wider bar with the built in keezer for beer on tap, but maybe with a refrigeration unit for storing other things. Either way, there will be more space for liquor and wine bottles, glasses, etc. Hopefully I can get back to work on this soon.

 

[brianj434]

wow.

it sounds like quite the undertaking. I cant wait to stop bottling. I think if i could make something look like a nice piece of cabinetry the wife would dig it too.

 

[bmellis]

Yeah, making it look like furniture is the key. Right now I have what you see in the pictures above sitting in my living room and my girlfriend has been asking me to move it to another room. But she says she can't wait for it to be finished an have it in the living room, assuming it looks as promised.

 

[Flomaster]

*bump*

any updates on your keezer build?

-=jason=-