Kegerator??

[locodemickey]

I would like to get my husband one of these but I have no idea what to look for. I know he likes Fosters so I saw that some are for specific kegs (Heinekin (sp?)). Any advice??

 

[Lanshark]

I too have been researching these for DH. If you google kegerator you will have a lot of hits. Everything I found seems to indicate that you should stay away from the ones sold at Home Depot (Darby I think) or SAMs. The issue seems to be that they do not keep the beer cold enough. There is a mini kegerator type devise that only dispenses Heinekin(sp). DH does not like Heinekin so I looked no further at that one. We've spoken to our local package store and found that they sell quarter kegs in the beers (German) that DH prefers. Some beers are pasturized and some are not. The pasturized beers last longer and I believe tend to be the imports. There is also an issue of the taps. Different kegs might require a different tap. If you have a local store that caters to people that brew their own beer (we're not interested in that) they have kegerators on display

We're still looking but I would love to hear what others have to say.

 

[locodemickey]

Can we put the keg in a little refridgerator or do you have to have a specific one?

 

[cabanafrau]

DH is a homebrewer, so I'm a little more versed in this subject than I ever could have dreamed. A kegerator is an actual refrigeration unit that chills kegs & has hook-ups for the beer to be dispensed via taps. DH built his own, modifying a chest freezer he picked up on a great deal from Costco.

Before you spend any $, try checking around for any homebrew supplies shops. They can best advise you where to get a good quality manufactured unit -- or, can suggest where & what your DH can purchase to build his own.

 

[locodemickey]

What do you need if you just want to keep a small keg in your existing small fridge?

 

[BunsenH]

What do you need if you just want to keep a small keg in your existing small fridge?

You need a dispensing system that pressurizes the keg with CO2 and feeds it to a tap handle.

 

[cabanafrau]

You may find what you're looking for on a website called kegworks. They sell complete kegerator units & the kits for converting your existing refrigerator into a kegerator.

BTW, neither Foster's or Heineken are the types of beer that require special taps. The kegs you are looking at purchasing may have a specific type of connection, but that has nothing at all to do w/ the beer inside the keg. There are some types of beers that actually do require special taps, etc., just because of the type of beer they are -- I know Guinness & some stouts are like that.

If you have more questions, please feel free to ask or PM, I'll get DH to answer them for you. The brewing community is a small one & works together to help each other, so that wouldn't be any problem at all.

 

[Squirlz]

On this page is a system that has all you need toconvert a refrigerator into a dispenser.

http://www.michiganbrewing.com/CategoryProductList.jsp?cat=Equipment:Draft+Beer+Equipment&offset=25

 

[BunsenH]

You may find what you're looking for on a website called kegworks. They sell complete kegerator units & the kits for converting your existing refrigerator into a kegerator.

BTW, neither Foster's or Heineken are the types of beer that require special taps. The kegs you are looking at purchasing may have a specific type of connection, but that has nothing at all to do w/ the beer inside the keg. There are some types of beers that actually do require special taps, etc., just because of the type of beer they are -- I know Guinness & some stouts are like that.

If you have more questions, please feel free to ask or PM, I'll get DH to answer them for you. The brewing community is a small one & works together to help each other, so that wouldn't be any problem at all.

I am also a homebrewer and agree with you 100%.

OP - Try www.byo.com for lots of links to beer knowledge.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

Last summer DH and I bought a kegerator from Sam's Club. Its basically a mini fridge witht the keg dispenser stuff. It holds a 1/2 or 1/4 barrel (there is no full barrel which I learned embarrasingly from Binny's)

We love love love it. We keep it our garage year round and haven't had an issue with it. THe only things is the CO2 cartridge. The one that comes with it is small, there is a gas store by us, they sold us a way bigger container (almost the size of a helium tank) and we just leave it behind the machine vs, having the smaller one mounted on the back.

 

[LeCras]

We have a Carlsberg Draughtmaster and love it. The machine takes 5 litre kegs and really chills them to the level we are used to in the pub.

If you don't want to be tied down to one brand, a lot of solutions aren't going to work for you. We are deighted with our purchase, since we really like Carlsberg Export and the quality of the beer we get is equal to what we would get in our local pub.

Regards,

Charlotte

 

[Corwin12]

I bought a kegerator last year and I love it. It keeps my beer ice cold and I always have nice pours. I love it so much that now, I am trying to lose the 5 pounds I gained from drinking too much beer.

 

[Kae]

I have a friend who had a 1950's fridge turned into a kegerator for her DH it is beautiful Whitewesting House painted high gloss red. She said it was a little cheaper than the ones sold at Lowe's.

Best part her DH bought her Margarita Machine, it holds 3 flavors. We hang there quite often

Kae