Lagering/Kegerator fridge/freezer suggestions

[Drunk Monkey]

After the holidays and things slow down, i was going to start looking for a chest freezer.
First question, is it a good idea to have it dual function? Use it for lagering and as a kegerator. From what i have read on this site about lagering, you change the temperature over time, over a rather large temp range. Would this be bad for the ready to drink beer that i want to store in there?

Second question. If it is alright to have it as dual purpose, does anyone have any suggestions about size? I would like to be able to fit at least 2 soda kegs as well as carboy and co2 tank. Obviously i could get a really big freezer, but available room is a consideration.

 

[Drunk Monkey]

anyone have any insight?

 

[david_42]

Although I don't use it for beer, I have a 9 cu. ct. chest freezer that sounds like it would serve depending on the size of your carboy (I use buckets). Most of the freezer is 25 inches deep, with the area over the compressor about 19 inches. It would handle four cornies, a bucket and a CO2 bottle.

I would suggest you take the kegs, carboys, etc. that you want to fit in the unit and arrange them together, then measure the amount of space you need. You might consider using cornies for lagering rather than carboys. Lifting a glass carboy into a chest freezer without breaking it requires a lot of strength.

You can certainly use the same unit for lagering and serving, but not for fermenting the lagers. Fermentation temperatures are a little too high to preserve top quality.

 

[Drunk Monkey]

You can certainly use the same unit for lagering and serving, but not for fermenting the lagers. Fermentation temperatures are a little too high to preserve top quality.

Thanks, that is the main info I was looking for.