Building a kegerator

[brew]

Many thanks for the offer Kyle - I got some kegs off Kijiji just recently - excellent deal. I also have a CO2 bottle (a 20) and a reg from a buddy of mine - also have 3 sets of ball lock connectors. Now I'm looking for a couple of secondary regs, some faucets / shanks and a cheap fridge. Perhaps I could ask, I've read that a shank with 1/4" bore is better as they are less likely to encourage foaming - does anyone have any experience with this? The 12" shank at beveragetime.com is quite a bit more expensive than the shorter ones with 3/16" bore...

I'll have to find out a bit more from you about mixing brew kits - although at some point (this year or next) I plan to make myself a mash tun and try an AG to see if its much better... again - I'm new to this!

[Kyle]

Well, you could try a distributor instead of a series of secondary regulators. In Canada, I think you can get a good 4-way distributor with check valves for about 60-70 dollars (enabling you to serve 4 kegs at once, but at the same pressure).

But, each additional secondary regulator will run you at least $50, Hopdawg having a reasonable price by Canadian standards. In the US, they are WAY cheaper, but there is the possibility of significant shipping duties.

Faucet-wise, I highly recommend the Perlick 525 SS. They are designed to be more sanitary (better tasting beer and less foam) and easier to use (won’t stick up like regular faucets if unused for a few days).

I use 3/16” bore on all of my faucets, and it works very well. I word of caution on the shanks, make sure they say they are standard. I bought a very cheap tower on ebay, and when I decided to upgrade my tap to a Perlick, the shank, I discovered, was a non-standard size.

Building a wooden box to house a multi-tap system will be at least $250 cheaper than even a used 4-tap tower.

Use 3/16” thick-walled ultra-smooth vinyl brewery line, and at least 10 feet of it per keg. This will deliver foam-free (still with head) beer as long as you maintain your system properly. Don't skimp on this, it is a HUGE factor in foam management.

Kijiji is a good place for a fridge, but avoid anything more than a few years old, the energy inefficiency will negate the cheapness up-front.

Club members will be happy to share their all grain beers with you at meetings they host – there really is a remarkable difference between kits and all grain.

[brew]

Well, you could try a distributor instead of a series of secondary regulators. In Canada, I think you can get a good 4-way distributor with check valves for about 60-70 dollars (enabling you to serve 4 kegs at once, but at the same pressure).

But, each additional secondary regulator will run you at least $50, Hopdawg having a reasonable price by Canadian standards. In the US, they are WAY cheaper, but there is the possibility of significant shipping duties.

Yes actually a four way came with my reg... I was thinking of the secondary regs so I could have two different kinds of beer at the same time - I understand Wheat beer requires a higher pressure than a normal lager or a blonde for example? Or does this really make that much difference? I was thinking of something like this.

Faucet-wise, I highly recommend the Perlick 525 SS. They are designed to be more sanitary (better tasting beer and less foam) and easier to use (won’t stick up like regular faucets if unused for a few days).

That 525 SS seems to be popular - $45 as opposed to $14.50 for the chrome plated - but its hard to beat stainless to be sure. I was thinking of three faucets (one for soda water) so that's almost an extra $100 - hmmm might have to save up for that...

I use 3/16” bore on all of my faucets, and it works very well. I word of caution on the shanks, make sure they say they are standard. I bought a very cheap tower on ebay, and when I decided to upgrade my tap to a Perlick, the shank, I discovered, was a non-standard size.

I had this one in mind: http://www.beveragetime.com/product-cat ... _14__bore/

I thought the extra length would also help to keep beer in the faucet cooler - but again, this one is quite a bit more expensive than the shorter ones... do you mind if I ask how long the shank off your tower is? (I assume its set up "keezer" style?)

Building a wooden box to house a multi-tap system will be at least $250 cheaper than even a used 4-tap tower.

I have a fridge (free) coming tomorrow - I was planning to drill some holes in the side of it for the shanks to go through...

Use 3/16” thick-walled ultra-smooth vinyl brewery line, and at least 10 feet of it per keg. This will deliver foam-free (still with head) beer as long as you maintain your system properly. Don't skimp on this, it is a HUGE factor in foam management.

I've been wondering a lot about this - so is the general rule - longer = less foam? Or is 10 feet the ideal length? I was thinking about the polyethylene tubing as well - I know its harder to work with, but I read that it can be better in some situations http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f35/beer-line-tests-solution-plastic-taste-60380/

Club members will be happy to share their all grain beers with you at meetings they host – there really is a remarkable difference between kits and all grain.

I'm very interested in talking with folks more about this stuff - I'm looking forward to making it to one of the meetings in the near future... Thanks for the info Kyle - much appreciated!

[Kyle]

a four-way came with your setup... nice.
the two secondaries you found on the link look like a good deal.

you carbonate wheat beers generally to a higher pressure than other styles, but I have had wheat and non-wheat on tap at the same time and thought each was perfectly carbonated: see you carb the wheat to say, 3.25 volumes, and the pale ale to say, 2.5 volumes, but as long as your distributor has check valves, which most do, you can serve both beers at the same pressure, about 10psi, and there will no problem, just give the wheat one a quick blast at 30psi occassionally if you notice it losing carb.

I know what you mean about the Perlicks being expensive. Standard taps will get stuck (badly) unless used almost daily. I had just one Perlick for a long time and then a picnic tap on the tower as well as for the summer cooler. I've just recently ordered the other two Perlicks.

The amount of volume of beer in the shank is so miniscule that its length makes no difference for cooling.

When drilling into the fridge, the idiot-proof way is go through the door so as to avoid coolant lines. Use a standard bit for a pilot hole, and then a hole saw bit after.

the shanks I have used are 3inch, 2inch, 1.5inch, and 4.8inch, they serve only to connect the beer tap securely to the beer line.

I can show you my setup, are you in Fredericton?, there is no need to spend money on cooling the shank unless you want a glycol tower, which is totally superfluous. I have a very simple dorm-fridge with a wooden collar. I drilled a hole about 2inches wide in the top of the collar and mounted a square tower made of a 1by4 pine board. The tower is sealed, and the beer stays pretty cold up to the tap, but the tap is room temp. Even if I serve as little as 3oz, the beer in the glass is cold.

There is a mathematical relationship between hose length, diameter, pressure and temperature, you can google keg co2 balancing, but the idiot-proof way is about 10-15 feet of the hose I mentioned earlier. Also, the math relationship is not perfect, so it needs to be taken with a grain of salt.

I used to use the polyethelene tubing: not as good, I replaced all of it.

[brew]

Kyle - many thanks for all the info - yes I am in Fredericton and would love to check out your setup if you're OK with that - I'll PM you...

[Jmac00]

X2 on drilling through the door as apposed to the side  

[brew]

X2 on drilling through the door as apposed to the side  

Interesting - I honestly thought that while a deep freeze had cooling lines in the sides, a fridge only had cooling lines in the back.

Thanks to you guys for the tip...

[Jmac00]

all depends on the type of fridge. If you're positive there's no lines in the side of yours, then drill away....i wasn't brave enough to take the risk.

[Kyle]

my keg fridge definately has coolant lines in the sides and top