Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

So the guys in the wedding party and I are buying my brother a kegerator as a wedding gift. Here is a site. I'm thinking this dual faucet is a good thing. Wondering if anyone has any advice as to which to get or on kegerators in general.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

kegerators are for single dudes

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

My roomates and I have one- on the whole a decent investment. Beverage factory is ok, but IMO better for accessories than the actual kegerator (due to high shipping costs). Your local Best Buy and even Costco will often have them, at substantially cheaper rates, providing you provide your own transportation.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

Sams Club has a solid one for about $500. If you have any specific questions, ask me and I should be able to answer them.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

Where would your brother be placing the kegerator???

Summit,Sanyo,Haier are all pretty good mid end kegs; but if it is going outdoors stay away from Haier.

There is something in the insulation in their doors that melts and leaves a nasty coating bubbling on the surface of the stainless and black doors.

The $500 keg from sams is more likely than not a Danby,which also pretty much sucks [censored].

If I had my choice I would probably go with the Sanyo vs. the Summit, simply because there Cust serv was pretty decent when I dealt with them, and I had fewer problems with them then anything else.

I did quite a bit of business with Beverage factory and they are a good company, but shipping this item could get fairly expensive if you are not in the SoCal area.(They are based in San Diego FWIW)

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

Thanks, worm!

I don't really see a way around the shipping issue. I'm in LV, and my brother is living in rural Virginia. I'll ask him whether he's thinking indoor or outdoor.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

CSC,

2+2er bad beetz is a kegerator expert.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

[ QUOTE ]
kegerators are for single dudes

[/ QUOTE ]
False.

Single guys go to bars to drink and pick up girls.

Married men drink alone, no need to waste extra money on things like covers, paying for each beer and women trying to get you to buy them drinks.

These look so nice. My Kegerator is a 1950s GE with a hole drilled through the door that I got for free from my buddy's brother who decided to get rid of it when his kids became teenagers.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Married men drink alone, no need to waste extra money on things like covers, paying for each beer and women trying to get you to buy them drinks.

[/ QUOTE ]
One of these is for married men who drink alone, one of these is for frat guys:

http://www.realbeer.com/edu/kegerator/keg-devil.jpg

http://beeradvocate.com/im/articles/625-1.jpg

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

[ QUOTE ]
Married men drink alone, no need to waste extra money on things like covers, paying for each beer and women trying to get you to buy them drinks.

[/ QUOTE ]
You make it sound so depressing! If I wanted to gain 20 lbs, cement my status as a full blown alcoholic, and have my wife hate me, I would get one in an instant!

How long does the beer last in these things? Outside of football season, I can't see drinking more than 10 or so a day.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

[ QUOTE ]

How long does the beer last in these things?

[/ QUOTE ]

Theoretically if it stays under pressure and cold, it lasts as long as it would in a bottle. I think realistically after a month it may get a bit skunky but still drinkable.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

I have had beer last well over a month. The reason CO2 is used is that is doesn't allow the further oxidation that makes the beer go bad.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

-Buy old fridge
-Take out shelves
-Drill Hole for tap
-Insert Keg
-Enjoy

Total Cost: $100-150

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

How long does the beer last in these things?

[/ QUOTE ]

50 Days is the max.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

[ QUOTE ]
-Buy old fridge
-Take out shelves
-Drill Hole for tap
-Insert Keg
-Enjoy

Total Cost: $100-150

[/ QUOTE ]

You still need a CO2 regulator.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
-Buy old fridge
-Take out shelves
-Drill Hole for tap
-Insert Keg
-Enjoy

Total Cost: $100-150

[/ QUOTE ]

You still need a CO2 regulator.

[/ QUOTE ]
-steal from kwik-e-mart = Free.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

[ QUOTE ]
How long does the beer last in these things?

[/ QUOTE ]

If you have to ask you aren't drinking it quick enough. I lived in a college house with 8 other guys so there was never beer in it beyond 1 week. By the end of the week it was a tad skunky, but our kegerator had CO2 issues.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

I played beer pong with like 2-3 week old keg beer and it was the worst [censored] I've ever tasted. It smelled awful and tasted like terrible wine.

http://a541.ac-images.myspacecdn.com...9377b0b664.jpg

That was after my 2nd or 3rd cup.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

lol phresh, that picture is awesome

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I played beer pong with like 2-3 week old keg beer and it was the worst [censored] I've ever tasted. It smelled awful and tasted like terrible wine.



[/ QUOTE ]

Must have been a bad keg. A buddy of mine had a kegerator and stocked it with Natty light, and we'd drink off that keg for a month. Either the lines were bad (mold and bacteria), or somebody left the keg out in the sun and it got too hot.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

[ QUOTE ]
-Buy old fridge
-Take out shelves
-Drill Hole for tap
-Insert Keg
-Enjoy

Total Cost: $100-150

[/ QUOTE ]

qft my daddy has one with three taps hehe!! but its because he loves to homebrew so he is always switching kegs in and out

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
kegerators are for single dudes

[/ QUOTE ]
False.

Single guys go to bars to drink and pick up girls.

Married men drink alone, no need to waste extra money on things like covers, paying for each beer and women trying to get you to buy them drinks.

These look so nice. My Kegerator is a 1950s GE with a hole drilled through the door that I got for free from my buddy's brother who decided to get rid of it when his kids became teenagers.

[/ QUOTE ]

your buddy's brother is a smart man

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I played beer pong with like 2-3 week old keg beer and it was the worst [censored] I've ever tasted. It smelled awful and tasted like terrible wine.

http://a541.ac-images.myspacecdn.com...9377b0b664.jpg

That was after my 2nd or 3rd cup.

[/ QUOTE ]
2-3 week old kegerator beer? Or just 2-3 week old keg beer?
I had a kegerator in college and we'd rarely have a keg las more than a week, but that's because we drank it. I've got a buddy at work with one and I'm pretty sure he keeps it stocked with the same keg for months at a time and the beer has never been bad when I've been over. I sure wouldn't want to drink out of a hand pumped keg after 2 weeks though.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

phresh- that is an awesome action photo!!!

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
-Buy old fridge
-Take out shelves
-Drill Hole for tap
-Insert Keg
-Enjoy

Total Cost: $100-150

[/ QUOTE ]

qft my daddy has one with three taps hehe!! but its because he loves to homebrew so he is always switching kegs in and out

[/ QUOTE ]
You can't just connect a rubber hose to a keg and run it out the side of an old fridge. I think the equipment for the one I had was around $250 not including the fridge.

I've been thinking about kegging my own beer, but I don't think I can justify running a 2nd frige 24/7. Also, I often end up taking my homebrew to other places so I'd still need to bottle.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
-Buy old fridge
-Take out shelves
-Drill Hole for tap
-Insert Keg
-Enjoy

Total Cost: $100-150

[/ QUOTE ]

qft my daddy has one with three taps hehe!! but its because he loves to homebrew so he is always switching kegs in and out

[/ QUOTE ]
You can't just connect a rubber hose to a keg and run it out the side of an old fridge. I think the equipment for the one I had was around $250 not including the fridge.

I've been thinking about kegging my own beer, but I don't think I can justify running a 2nd frige 24/7. Also, I often end up taking my homebrew to other places so I'd still need to bottle.

[/ QUOTE ]
Ebay & craigslist for the tap + CO2 connections. The cost of using an old fridge will be only slightly more than the cost for running a $600-700 kegerator. I had a buddy who probably spent a total of $150 for his kegerator, and that was the whole set-up.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I played beer pong with like 2-3 week old keg beer and it was the worst [censored] I've ever tasted. It smelled awful and tasted like terrible wine.

http://a541.ac-images.myspacecdn.com...9377b0b664.jpg

That was after my 2nd or 3rd cup.

[/ QUOTE ]
2-3 week old kegerator beer? Or just 2-3 week old keg beer?
I had a kegerator in college and we'd rarely have a keg las more than a week, but that's because we drank it. I've got a buddy at work with one and I'm pretty sure he keeps it stocked with the same keg for months at a time and the beer has never been bad when I've been over. I sure wouldn't want to drink out of a hand pumped keg after 2 weeks though.

[/ QUOTE ]

The difference is the regulation. A c02 regulator will keep it fresh, along with keeping it cold it could last up to 2 months. With a hand pump you are essentially pumping oxygen in to the beer which ruins the flavor and freshness in as little as one day.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

I own this site: www.kegeratorshop.com.

PM me any questions you have

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

[ QUOTE ]

Ebay & craigslist for the tap + CO2 connections. The cost of using an old fridge will be only slightly more than the cost for running a $600-700 kegerator. I had a buddy who probably spent a total of $150 for his kegerator, and that was the whole set-up.

[/ QUOTE ]
Sounds like a good deal. It's not the cost so much of running it, it's that I'm a bit of an environmental nut-job. Not so much though that I'd let it permanently stand in my way of kegging my beer if I was somewhere where I had a better set up for brewing.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

If you host a home game, then a kegerator is a must-have.

I own one. Old fridge + tap + coupler + regulator.

If you're going to buy this as a gift, I would obviously go with whatever factory kegerator. I'd also get him a kit for cleaning the lines. It'll make a very big difference in the quality of the beer.

Since I have a simple fridge set-up, I just replace the line periodically. Cleaning the lines is a hassle, but very necessary.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

phresh you just had a bad keg, Ive driken keg beer, that was in a kegarator that was 4 months old, and it was still good. Ive drinken handtapped kegs, cooled, tapped, then left in the backyard for a few weeks, that werent horrible.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

I've built a few and currently have a giant chest freezer with temp. regulator that's just waiting for me to buy enough corny kegs to fill it.

CSC,

In general, its a huge waste of money to buy one instead of build your own. If you're willing to put a week or two into finding a fridge (I've gotten all of my fridges for free off craigslist), then you can build your own in a couple hours for a fraction of the price of buying a manufactured one. If you've got a bunch of people chipping in, and nobody lives in the area or wants to put the time in, then I can understand just shelling out the money, but I'd never do it myself. Another thing to consider is that buying the CO2 tank to ship with the reset is often way more expensive than just going to a local welding supply place and buying it, because the tank, even empty, is heavy as [censored]. In any case, the tap, shank, regulator, hoses, and various other parts will definitely run under $200 even with a lot of options, not $250 as someone else said.

Lastly, the two tap configuration is going to be a waste unless the recipient is a homebrewer. You can't get two commercial kegs in a mini-fridge with the very rare exception of microbrewers who both keg cornies and let you buy them.

[ QUOTE ]
How long does the beer last in these things?[ QUOTE ]

50 Days is the max.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]
You have no idea what you're talking about. If it stays cold, it will stay "good" as in "Won't kill you" for practically forever. It will stay "good" as in "Not skunky" for 4-5 months or maybe longer. For those who have had skunky keg beer, either it went through temperature fluctuations or, far more likely, the lines were filthy. I clean all my lines either once a month or between kegs, whichever comes first. But I'm pretty anal about it and would bet that most people with kegs - including bars - don't do it nearly as often as they should. Without cleaning, you'll get beer stone, mold, bacteria, and all sorts of other nasty deposits built up in your lines, so you'll essentially be filtering your kegged beer through filth. Not tasty.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

You can usually get CO2 from a liquor store. Try a big one near a university. The deposit on the tank is around $50 plus $35ish for the gas.


A bar I used to work at was undergoing renovation. They ripped out the old lines, which ran from the bar to down in the basement.

We found a cockroach skeleton inside one of the lines.

As always, when drinking/dining out, ignorance is bliss.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

What kind of variety do most large liquor stores have for kegs - just the basic ones? Would they normally be able to special order kegs of, for example, Sam Adams Summer Ale, Cherry Wheat, etc.?

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

Check out Bevmo if they have any by you, pretty decent selection of kegs, and if they don't have it they can prob. order it.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

[ QUOTE ]
What kind of variety do most large liquor stores have for kegs - just the basic ones? Would they normally be able to special order kegs of, for example, Sam Adams Summer Ale, Cherry Wheat, etc.?

[/ QUOTE ] It obviously depends on where you live. Most distributers will special order kegs for you from beer they already sell, but be prepared to pay through the nose.

I've become kind of strange with mine. I go through about a quarter a month. So every month I call up the beer store and ask when the Yuengling truck is coming by (I only live an hour from the brewery) I head over have them take a quarter fresh from the brewery off of the truck and tap that. Nector of the gods.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

Other thing with specialty beers is you may need a different tap than the American Sankey "D". Alot of imports and certain special domestics require a different tap.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

whats with all the people talking bout the cheapest way to make your own kegerator? Come on where's the baller mentality?

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

[ QUOTE ]
I've built a few and currently have a giant chest freezer with temp. regulator that's just waiting for me to buy enough corny kegs to fill it.

CSC,

In general, its a huge waste of money to buy one instead of build your own. If you're willing to put a week or two into finding a fridge (I've gotten all of my fridges for free off craigslist), then you can build your own in a couple hours for a fraction of the price of buying a manufactured one. If you've got a bunch of people chipping in, and nobody lives in the area or wants to put the time in, then I can understand just shelling out the money, but I'd never do it myself. Another thing to consider is that buying the CO2 tank to ship with the reset is often way more expensive than just going to a local welding supply place and buying it, because the tank, even empty, is heavy as [censored]. In any case, the tap, shank, regulator, hoses, and various other parts will definitely run under $200 even with a lot of options, not $250 as someone else said.

Lastly, the two tap configuration is going to be a waste unless the recipient is a homebrewer. You can't get two commercial kegs in a mini-fridge with the very rare exception of microbrewers who both keg cornies and let you buy them.

[ QUOTE ]
How long does the beer last in these things?[ QUOTE ]

50 Days is the max.

[/ QUOTE ]

[/ QUOTE ]
You have no idea what you're talking about. If it stays cold, it will stay "good" as in "Won't kill you" for practically forever. It will stay "good" as in "Not skunky" for 4-5 months or maybe longer. For those who have had skunky keg beer, either it went through temperature fluctuations or, far more likely, the lines were filthy. I clean all my lines either once a month or between kegs, whichever comes first. But I'm pretty anal about it and would bet that most people with kegs - including bars - don't do it nearly as often as they should. Without cleaning, you'll get beer stone, mold, bacteria, and all sorts of other nasty deposits built up in your lines, so you'll essentially be filtering your kegged beer through filth. Not tasty.

[/ QUOTE ]


I love when there is a thread like this, and no one knows what they are talking about really, and then someone posts a smackdown w/ the information that the OP needs. RDH is spot on.

Re: Who knows stuff about Kegerators?
 

Nice post RDH. I did, in fact, spend over $200 on my set up. But this was a set up that ran across a house and came out at a faucet in the kitchen sink right next to the water.

Looking at bad beetz's kegeratorshop.com it looks like his basic DIY set up is $190. So I'm not sure how much cheaper you can find this stuff for. Like I said, I did this just once, in college- and also got my fridge for free. It was curbside though, before I knew about craigslist. What should one expect to pay for all the parts? Much less than $190?

Someone also pointed out getting a CO2 tank filled at a liquor store for $35. I think we paid $7 to get ours filled at a welding shop, and they were large tanks. A refill was either $14 for both or $14 for one, I can't recall because I only had to get a refill once or twice, and we went through quite a few kegs.

Since homebrewing was mentioned in here I'd like to add there's a Home Brewing Thread in EDF right now. I know it's been done before, but I'd like to hear what people have been brewing.