We provide free beer and are currently going through 3 kegs/week

[freebeer247]

We own a large marina with a substantial live-a-aboard community. In our Yacht Club room we offer free beer for customers, 7 days a week. The Club is open from 8am until midnight all week long.

I purchased a "Nostalgia KRS2100 Kegorator Black Draft Beer Dispenser" for the Yacht Club when we first started offering the free beer it was on the weekends only. Of course we had the typical problems I've read that most people have with them. I removed the back cover, adjusted the temp so it could get colder, purchased a tower cooler, and added +/- 5 feet to the beer hose in order to combat the foam issues. These all seemed to work great.

After very successful free beer on weekends, we decided to offer free beer all week long. The problem we found was that once the keg ran out, we only had a room temperature keg to load into the kegerator (which everyone knows takes a considerable amount of time to get to operating temperature). So we bought a second Nostalgia KRS2100 Kegorator Black Draft Beer Dispenser.

We didn't fully assemble the second Kegorater, we just used it to store the "on deck" keg so that when the first one ran out, we could easily swap them with minimal downtime. We are currently averaging about 3 kegs per week. This has been working pretty good until one of the kegorators simply quit cooling. The compressor is still running but inside it's not cooling at all. So now, we are back to the situation we were in before we purchased the second keg, dealing with a room temp keg. I have to mention that we ended up getting the first kegorater for free after complaining about it getting damaged in shipping so the option of returning it is not available to us.

I'm here asking for help. I'm trying to get my boss to purchase a commercial keg cooler like they have in bars that can keep two kegs cool at once, but costing $1800+, he's not going for it. The quick fix is obviously to purchase a 3rd Nostalgia KRS2100, but I'm afraid that it will meet the same demise as the other one sooner rather than later.

I'm currently trying to find single keg coolers for commercial applications that have good ratings. The units I'm looking at are Danby DKC5811BSL, IGLOO FRB200, or a Versonel VSL155TDSS.

I think I can probably get him to spend $600-$800 but not much more than that. Anyone have any suggestions as to what I should do? I'd really love to get an old draft dispenser from a bar that has closed but my efforts have been fruitless thus far.

Thanks in advance everyone!

 

[broadbill]

craigslist.

 

[mkyl428]

Why not just buy an old fridge to store your extra kegs in until you tap them

 

[atom]

i'm confused...you just need to cool kegs down to serving temp? get a freezer and a temp controller and you're done.

 

[ss4ivan]

I want free beer

 

[cilestiok]

I'm thinking jockey box made in a mini fridge.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

I want free beer

Me too.

 

[PGEduardo]

Buy a chest freezer with a good warranty, temp controller and be done with it.

 

[Twins_Dad]

http://sacramento.craigslist.org/app/5311967593.html

Craigslist is your friend.

 

[cilestiok]

I'm assuming the OP is not a home brewer by the fact that he signed up just to ask this question. That said, let's assume these are 1/2 barrels and he's not going to be able to lift those into a chest freezer. Upright fridge, jockey box, or a new beer meister seem to be the only true options. Not to mention this seems an odd place to seek commercial beer dispensing advice.

 

[freebeer247]

Why not just buy an old fridge to store your extra kegs in until you tap them

We are somewhat limited on space. A large fridge in a nicely decorated Yacht Club wouldn't fit in so well is the problem.

i'm confused...you just need to cool kegs down to serving temp? get a freezer and a temp controller and you're done.

Buy a chest freezer with a good warranty, temp controller and be done with it.

What would be the ideal temperature to keep the reserve keg at? The chest freezers that I'm seeing have temps that range from -10F to +15F which I'm sure is too cold to store beer. Am I wrong?

I'm assuming the OP is not a home brewer by the fact that he signed up just to ask this question. That said, let's assume these are 1/2 barrels and he's not going to be able to lift those into a chest freezer. Upright fridge, jockey box, or a new beer meister seem to be the only true options. Not to mention this seems an odd place to seek commercial beer dispensing advice.

Yes, I'm sorry. I'm not a home brewer, you're correct. I'm sorry, I'm in sort of a pinch as we are trying to prepare for a 150+ person Thanksgiving party so I'm seeking advice from anywhere I can. This forum, has by far, offered the best advice to date.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

I thought the "typical problem" was going to be beer fans that wouldn't leave in the evening

 

[Yooper]

We are somewhat limited on space. A large fridge in a nicely decorated Yacht Club wouldn't fit in so well is the problem.





What would be the ideal temperature to keep the reserve keg at? The chest freezers that I'm seeing have temps that range from -10F to +15F which I'm sure is too cold to store beer. Am I wrong?



Yes, I'm sorry. I'm not a home brewer, you're correct. I'm sorry, I'm in sort of a pinch as we are trying to prepare for a 150+ person Thanksgiving party so I'm seeking advice from anywhere I can. This forum, has by far, offered the best advice to date.

For the chest freezer, you just need an A419 temperature controller. Set it at 40 degrees, and you're done.

But like the others said, if you're dealing with half barrels, that's heavy to lift in and out of a chest freezer! An upright would be the way to go, or a commercial kegerator.

 

[PGEduardo]

We are somewhat limited on space. A large fridge in a nicely decorated Yacht Club wouldn't fit in so well is the problem.

What would be the ideal temperature to keep the reserve keg at? The chest freezers that I'm seeing have temps that range from -10F to +15F which I'm sure is too cold to store beer. Am I wrong?

These are two issues here. First, with space limited you're kind of hosed. I have a large chest freezer which will fit 15 gallon "full size" kegs. I can't imagine it adds much more space than a few kegs themselves however. Look up Johnson A419 temperature controllers - these will allow you to set the freezer to turn on/off according to the temperature you set. Most of us drinking "craft beer" recommend ~38F for serving temperature. Most places serving Bud/Miller/Coors keep it colder, some even advertising serving it as low as 28F (Twin Peaks!)

The colder it is the less you taste. Maybe shoot for 34F, but reference carbonation charts to optimize your CO2 regulator setting and avoid overcarbonation. Probably around 10psi or so would work for the lower temps.

 

[Peruvian802]

Is the OP spamming us to sell boat slips that offer free beer 7 days a week?

If so, please PM me with details with charges, fees, and if I have to own a boat! [emoji41]

 

[lemy]

For the party you could just rent something or get a jockey box (you do not need to keep the kegs cold with a jockey box

The jockey box is what everyone uses at beer festivals.

The jockey would not be a permanent solution, but it could get you through the holiday season and other large parties.

 

[agrazela]

Is the OP spamming us to sell boat slips that offer free beer 7 days a week?

If so, please PM me with details with charges, fees, and if I have to own a boat! [emoji41]

I know dammit!

Now where did I put my yacht?

 

[jbb3]

What he said^^^


LOL... Never mind. Thread moving too fast. Something about free beer!?!

 

[mkyl428]

We are somewhat limited on space. A large fridge in a nicely decorated Yacht Club wouldn't fit in so well is the problem.

You could get a nice fridge, the footprint of a large fridge will be smaller than a freezer, also a fridge wouldn't fit in so well, but a freezer would?

At any rate as others have said if you are trying to pull a 15 gallon keg in and out of a freezer all the time you are going to have bigger problems than keeping beer cold, an upright freezer could work, or a nice looking commercial fridge, though those are going to be expensive.

What about keeping the spare fridge in an outside area (with a lock on it)

 

[IslandLizard]

Can't you put a large fridge or freezer in a back room, and when a keg in the bar runs out, just get a fresh one from the back? If you're using 15 gallons kegs, use a hand truck.

What size are your kegs? That determines what kind of cold storage/fridge/freezer you'll need.

I'm surprised you don't go through more beer though...

 

[pigroaster]

One solution is to have a 50/50 draw where free customers pay for the chance to determine when the kegs run dry. Share the draw money and use your share you get for a keg fridge (commercial unit). Second solution: In the meantime a hoist with rope slings would look nautical to use a sling on kegs to get them in and out of a freezer with a controller on it. You could even put a stuffed parrot on the rope! My money says pick option one.

 

[DrunkleJon]

I echo the check craigslist bit. Depending on how much space you have available you could possibly pick up a mini fridge or an used regular upright refrigerator or freezer. The biggest problems with mini fridges is that the compressor hump can make getting the keg in there difficult if not impossible. If you have the floor space for it, and since you are not necessarily using it for serving, an upright refrigerator (freezer up top) with a temperature controller is pretty ideal because you can usually get them for cheap/free on Craigs list. True many of those finds are not pretty, but they can be faced or masked to blend better. A little (drift or pallet)wood paneling and it should fit in with a nautical theme pretty well.

 

[ruddyscot]

hey there, just charge a buck a beer and 1] fewer people will imbibe, and 2] it will pay for the other chest.

probably nothing in the "rules" say you MUST provide free beer-- you're simply doing it as a favor. Hell's bells, I'd pay a buck for a decent beer any day

 

[The10mmKid]

I'd lean towards a commercial cooler like this:

It will handle the cooling demand and you should find them used for under a grand.

Use the upper shelves as a normal fridge.

 

[Hanglow]

Get an inline cooler perhaps? Maxi coolers are about £250 for a two beer cooler iirc. I imagine they are around $250 given how everything is cheaper in the states