Whitey70
Active Member
I started brewing almost 2 years ago, and I found out very soon just how fast it can go from a hobby to a full blown obsession. The thing that flipped the obsession switch for me, was an article on the AHA forum called:
"The Amazing Transformation of Ross' Kegerator"
I had up until that point had the usual set up; you know, the 4 kegs in an upright fridge with picnic taps. In truth, my mind had begun to wonder about how to use a freezer, and then I stumbled on to Ross' Kegerator.
Suffice it to say I was blown away by what I saw, (I was thinking of putting S/S Towers on the lid of the freezer) They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I hope Ross feels that way.
While not as Aesthetically pleasing as Ross' is, yet. It is super functional and I'll work on the aesthetics in time.
Here's my version:
The victim was an all metal chest freezer that has to be as old as I am (I'm 42), made by BF Goodrich of all places
After putting some casters on the bottom, I decided to put a 10" collar around it. My logic was to increase the height of the taps, I thought that from that vantage point, it would be easier to see how your pour is going.
The casters are really great for wheeling it out of the garage for cookout's and the like
Here it is, with the collar and primer. Yes, I planned to put 7 taps on the thing. ;D
Painting it, I'm a welder....not a painter.
Painted, and sort of looking ok.
This is the thermostat I used. I got it from the Chi Company, I think it cost $40 and works like a bomb
Running the lines, this was probably the most challenging part. Chest Freezers, apparently, aren't designed for people to crawl around it, let alone wield power tools.
I decided to use secondary regulators to run the ales, and initially I had 4 kegs up and running.
The label solution was a bit tough. Like Ross, I decided to use wooden legs from Lowes which once stained, worked really well. Ross used some picture frames to house his labels. I didn't really account for the width of those when I drilled the holes for the taps, that and I couldn't find any frames the right sizes anywhere. So instead, I got some sheet metal, cut them out to size, then printed the labels on magnetic print paper to fit. It works well.
Here's the final front end. Apologies that it's a little out of focus, but you can see all the pretty taps, including my personal favourite: the stout faucet, and on the far right, a tap that I plan to use for generic crap for the poor people who drink that stuff. I have a sanke connector on that tap, and a 1/6 keg which I can use for my stuff if I needed to.
Here's the final arrangement inside. I have a 10lb C02 tank to run the ale/lager/generic side, and the 5lb tank is fullled with beergas, to run the stout faucet.
Close up of the two tanks, with sanke connector.
This build took me a while, my work and family take up a lot of my time, but it was a lot of fun, and not to difficult. I've learned a lot of things along the way, and if I ever were to make another, there are a few things that I would do differently.
Hope everyone enjoys my musings. If anyone is planning on building something like this, I'd be happy to share my limited knowledge with them.
"The Amazing Transformation of Ross' Kegerator"
I had up until that point had the usual set up; you know, the 4 kegs in an upright fridge with picnic taps. In truth, my mind had begun to wonder about how to use a freezer, and then I stumbled on to Ross' Kegerator.
Suffice it to say I was blown away by what I saw, (I was thinking of putting S/S Towers on the lid of the freezer) They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I hope Ross feels that way.
While not as Aesthetically pleasing as Ross' is, yet. It is super functional and I'll work on the aesthetics in time.
Here's my version:
The victim was an all metal chest freezer that has to be as old as I am (I'm 42), made by BF Goodrich of all places
After putting some casters on the bottom, I decided to put a 10" collar around it. My logic was to increase the height of the taps, I thought that from that vantage point, it would be easier to see how your pour is going.
The casters are really great for wheeling it out of the garage for cookout's and the like
Here it is, with the collar and primer. Yes, I planned to put 7 taps on the thing. ;D
Painting it, I'm a welder....not a painter.
Painted, and sort of looking ok.
This is the thermostat I used. I got it from the Chi Company, I think it cost $40 and works like a bomb
Running the lines, this was probably the most challenging part. Chest Freezers, apparently, aren't designed for people to crawl around it, let alone wield power tools.
I decided to use secondary regulators to run the ales, and initially I had 4 kegs up and running.
The label solution was a bit tough. Like Ross, I decided to use wooden legs from Lowes which once stained, worked really well. Ross used some picture frames to house his labels. I didn't really account for the width of those when I drilled the holes for the taps, that and I couldn't find any frames the right sizes anywhere. So instead, I got some sheet metal, cut them out to size, then printed the labels on magnetic print paper to fit. It works well.
Here's the final front end. Apologies that it's a little out of focus, but you can see all the pretty taps, including my personal favourite: the stout faucet, and on the far right, a tap that I plan to use for generic crap for the poor people who drink that stuff. I have a sanke connector on that tap, and a 1/6 keg which I can use for my stuff if I needed to.
Here's the final arrangement inside. I have a 10lb C02 tank to run the ale/lager/generic side, and the 5lb tank is fullled with beergas, to run the stout faucet.
Close up of the two tanks, with sanke connector.
This build took me a while, my work and family take up a lot of my time, but it was a lot of fun, and not to difficult. I've learned a lot of things along the way, and if I ever were to make another, there are a few things that I would do differently.
Hope everyone enjoys my musings. If anyone is planning on building something like this, I'd be happy to share my limited knowledge with them.
