Everyone loves a cold beer. Nothing can match the cold, crisp taste of draft beer. But it is not always convenient to go to a tavern to have a cool drink. What if you could get that same draft beer in your own home? At some point, a genius came up with the kegerator. A kegerator is simply a cooler for a keg. They have the barrel inside and a tap outside. It’s essentially a refrigerator with no shelves or drawers that has a connector from the keg to the faucet that you install on the outside. Viola, fresh and cold draft beer in your own home.
But how do I get a kegerator of my own? Well, there are several ways, including buying a ready-made one from one of several manufacturers. Or you can get creative and make your own. Conversion kits are available: all you need is a cooler and the kit, a little patience and good instructions, and you too can serve your favorite brand of beer, or your own homebrew, fresh from the tap.
Before you decide which route to take, check out some ready-made kegerators. They come in all sizes, from countertop designs to mini-kegerators, or full-size refrigerators, to chest-style freezers (okay, these are technically keezers, but we won’t be picky here). There are many brands out there. Some of the most popular are Danby and Haier.
A mini-kegerator as you might imagine is made from a mini-refrigerator. You’ll want to make sure the mini-kegerator houses your favorite keg as well as a Co2 tank. If you choose to do your own conversion, you may want to use a conversion kit, or if you’re more ambitious, custom assemble your own by choosing all the parts from your own beer keg.
The mini-kegerator is designed to hold a 5 liter mini-keger. Do some research to see what kind of features you’d like to see in your mini-kegerator. Some are super small, but most are the size of a mini fridge. Some features you can get in an out-of-the-box mini-kegerator or one that you can convert include: adjustable temperature control, freshness meters to tell you how long your keg has been in the fridge, and volume sensors that will tell you what’s left. in the barrel.
Obviously the kegerator is just a refrigerator without a tap. Consider how many kegs the beer keg will fit in, and that will tell you how many taps you should have on the tap. Since not all kegs are the same size, you’ll need to determine which brands you want to use or, if you’re using refillable kegs for your own beer, you’ll want to know how many kegs the keg of beer can hold. Some hold two or three mini-kegs, or a combination of a corney and a pony. You get the idea. Get to know the inside of your kegerator to make sure you’re not disappointed when you bring your keg home.
