Hokie_Brewer Keezer

[Hokie_Brewer]

Hey guys, just wanted to share my latest project with you. I live in a really small apartment, so the only size freezer I could realistically fit was a 5.0 cu GE from Home Depot. (These are all iPhone photos, hopefully they are ok)

I didn't really like the white, so I repainted it black with an appliance paint and then threw on a clear coat to protect it from scratches.

Untitled by p8ntballr88, on Flickr

I used some raw oak from our property, and a friend of ours has a sawmill to rough cut it for us. Ran the panels through the planar and straightened up all the cuts. Here's the collar:

Untitled by p8ntballr88, on Flickr

Just did basic butt joints with 2 metal L brackets per corner:

Untitled by p8ntballr88, on Flickr

I didn't really like using the freezer lid as the top, so we biscuited together a couple boards and made a top for the collar:

Untitled by p8ntballr88, on Flickr

Collar with the holes:

Untitled by p8ntballr88, on Flickr

Got the top all cut and started sanding it down with a 120 grit belt sander, then finished it with a 220 random orbital sander. Its silky smooth now:

Untitled by p8ntballr88, on Flickr

So here she is on the freezer. You can see the hinges for the upper lid on the top. You can open just the top, or open the entire collar for deeper access. With this setup, if the keezer is against the wall, you don't need to scoot it forward to get access into the top.

Untitled by p8ntballr88, on Flickr

Here's the keezer with the whole top open:

Untitled by p8ntballr88, on Flickr

And I still need to stain/seal it, but I had to hook it all up to see how it looks. Still need to add a bit of insulation to the collar and stain it

Untitled by p8ntballr88, on Flickr


Thanks for looking!

 

[Changeduser123]

Getting rid of the top is a great idea. I did the same for my keezer build, and it looks much nicer than it would with the original lid. You did a great job at putting this together.

 

[Hokie_Brewer]

Getting rid of the top is a great idea. I did the same for my keezer build, and it looks much nicer than it would with the original lid. You did a great job at putting this together.

Ah cool, I hadn't seen your build. I really like the front door that opens on yours

 

[Whut]

Very nice indeed, great job there!

 

[JetSmooth]

That wood is really beautiful. Can't wait to see it all finished up.

If you can get a nice, tight seal on the lid and insulate the heck out of it, that should be awesome. I may get my dad to help me do something similar. He has a wood shop, I don't.

 

[Hokie_Brewer]

That wood is really beautiful. Can't wait to see it all finished up.

If you can get a nice, tight seal on the lid and insulate the heck out of it, that should be awesome. I may get my dad to help me do something similar. He has a wood shop, I don't.

Yeah, the wood is really nice. It's cool to see it go from the raw lumber off the sawmill, then get gradually nicer as it gets planed and sanded

 

[Changeduser123]

Insulation is not that big of a deal: I did not use cutting tools for the wood, since I do not have any. The guy at home depot cut the pieces for me. As a result, I have some seams about everywhere It is great you were able to make something that looks seamless though. What I did to fix this and make the top airtight is just make sure the insulation panels overlap all the wood junctions to make a Z shape.

 

[jbrookeiv]

Subbed. Nice build!

 

[Hokie_Brewer]

So here's the finished product!

All stained up and sealed. I have to say, having beer on tap at the house is pretty awesome!

 

[iijakii]

Damn I dig that! The top box is a great idea. I really wish I had a sexy love controller instead of this Ranco.

 

[Hokie_Brewer]

Damn I dig that! The top box is a great idea. I really wish I had a sexy love controller instead of this Ranco.

This is actually the eBay aquarium controller. It was so cheap, $40 for the whole controller

 

[trevor_b]

Love the tap handles, where did you get them?

 

[Dog House Brew]

With your collar being that tall, do you think you could fit a 3rd keg in there? I love the small size of the 5 cu. ft. Was hoping to do one, but would love a 3rd tap.

 

[Hokie_Brewer]

Love the tap handles, where did you get them?

The SWMBO actually made them for me as a gift. The handle is from Rogue I think, and where the sticker would go, she put chalkboard paint on them. :rockin:

 

[Hokie_Brewer]

With your collar being that tall, do you think you could fit a 3rd keg in there? I love the small size of the 5 cu. ft. Was hoping to do one, but would love a 3rd tap.

Yup, that was the plan. Didn't want to buy 3 all at once, but wanted to have the capacity for more kegs. It will fit 1 more at least, and I'm thinking it mayyyy fit 4 total with the CO2 outside the freezer. But that's for when I have a little bit more $$ for taps and kegs.

 

[deerelk4x4]

Is there room inside to do two cornies and a carboy for lagering? I am looking to do the same thing. I already have the freezer and controller.