For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

I want a kegerator.

What do you think - Buy new? Build one?

Anyone else build one out there - is it tough?

Sarge[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

Are you going to take care of your new toy? Flush its lines? Wipe it down?

There's a reason these things are easy to find used.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

ewww....sound appealing.

But yeah, from what I read there are cleaning kits you can buy. Is cleaning that tough of a procedure?

Sarge[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

Just buy one, you can get a good one for $500 - $600. It is worth it.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

How long will the beer stay fresh in one of these?

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

I built mine from an older refrigerator. It was very easy.
Used Refrigerator: $65
Deluxe kit with CO2 tank and drip tray: just under $200

There are 2 major dealers of the conversion kits.
kegworks
beveragefactory

You can also try Ebay for used kits.

I decided on converting an old fridge, simply because i wanted the added freezer and fridge space. Even with the keg inside the fridge, there is quite a bit of room there for other stuff.

Regarding maintenance and line cleaning. You can buy a clenaing kit, or just soak them in a diluted solution of bleach and water. It ain't that hard.

Another thing. Although your per ounce of beer savings may be as high as 50%, you WON'T actually save money on beer because:
1. Your consumption will increase and you'll gain 15 lbs.
2. Your friends will mooch away your savings one glass at a time.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

[ QUOTE ]
How long will the beer stay fresh in one of these?

[/ QUOTE ]

Never been an issue with me. I think you can keep it for at least a month.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

[ QUOTE ]
Another thing. Although your per ounce of beer savings may be as high as 50%, you WON'T actually save money on beer because:
1. Your consumption will increase and you'll gain 15 lbs.
2. Your friends will mooch away your savings one glass at a time.

[/ QUOTE ]

I just put a jar on top of mine and my friends actually kick in money. One of my friends actually put in $4 in McDonalds Gift certificates, I almost beat his ass.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

I've only ever bought pony kegs, but I see some that use what look like "pepsi" kegs.

Are these types of kegs "standard"

I want a dual tap- this much I know.

Sarge[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

Wow. First a custom chips thread, and now a kegerator. Any chance you're going to need a hand building a poker table soon? [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Seriously though, good luck with the poker room!

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

[ QUOTE ]
Wow. First a custom chips thread, and now a kegerator. Any chance you're going to need a hand building a poker table soon? [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Seriously though, good luck with the poker room!

[/ QUOTE ]

Poker table is done [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Racetrack design...suited casino cloth.

Soon as a get a decent camera I'll get the pics up.

Sarge[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

Buddy of mine just bought this one. . So far I think it's turned him into a casual alcoholic. Nothing serious....but time will tell.

-Ryan

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

Nice find.

Thanks - seems like I'm splitting the difference of $200 of building my own or buying a brand new one. For $200 I may save myself the hassle.

I gotta think used ones must be out there for even less.

Sarge[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

My brother put a keg in an old refrigerator years ago, with a tap out the side. Works great, but MAN can you go through a lot of beer with a crowd.

The only problem was, then he had to put a urinal next to the refrigerator. Seriously! (To describe him as the black sheep of our family is an understatement, and not fair to sheep...)

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

I've wanted one of these since the first time I saw them.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

I keep getting mail from them about those things. I'm trying to resist, but there's an empty wall in my useless dining room that needs filled.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

First, I can't believe anyone would buy one of these, even used, when they're so simple to build. And if you do manage to find one, it will probably be a little girly-man mini fridge one, and nobody wants that. The tall, thinner kegs you were referring to are cornelius kegs, also called corny kegs. Typically guys that homebrew either bottle their stuff or keg it in a corny. You won't be able to get commercial brews in corny kegs.

I'm taking pictures of the work I'm doing on my latest kegerator as I do it. If anybody wants to host them with my comments/instructions, or if you want me to email them to you or something, let me know.

Depending on how close to Nashville you are, you could swing by and help out, or come to its coming-out party, I suppose.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

Before I had kids, I did a lot of homebrewing. The Corny kegs were great!! I could fit three of them in a full sized fridge. I often had six or seven different brews available, three on tap and the rest bottled. Nothing like beer on tap in your own house.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

Building a keg fridge was pretty much the easiest project I've ever undertaken. If you can drill a hole, you can convert a refrigerator into a keg fridge (keep in mind I bought this fridge for $10 on eBay, I'm sure you could find a nicer one for more $$, but this one works just fine):

http://img195.echo.cx/img195/7083/kegfridge14th.jpg

http://img195.echo.cx/img195/938/kegfridge23nl.jpg

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

Am I the only one that thinks tap beer tastes awful compared to its bottled counterpart?

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

Why bother with any physical conversion? I just picked up a cheap fridge and got standard keg tap parts online (CO2 line/guage, tap, hose, etc.).

I just open the door to pour a cold one. I also keep a supply of frosty pints in the freezer too. Total cost (with a brand new fridge):

$300 (fridge=200, tap parts=100).

This is what I got But I got the CO2 tank from the local CO2 supplier for a small deposit.

I have room for 5, 8, and 16 gallon kegs, plus door space for extra pop, milk, etc.

BTW- I've had 16 gallon kegs that lasted 3 months and were still fine. We keep it very cold and I keep the CO2 around 8psi.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

[ QUOTE ]
Am I the only one that thinks tap beer tastes awful compared to its bottled counterpart?

[/ QUOTE ]

bahahaha-hohohoh-heheheheheh-hahahahaha.... thanks man! I needed a good laugh.

Seriously though, you must be referring to "Keystone Light" or something, because no REAL bear comes out of a bottle. Sure, lots of micros and imports are bottled but actual, real beer is hardly carbonated, hand pumped out of the keg and isn't kept under pressure... there's just enough nitrogen on top to keep the oxygen off of it. Yes, I'm a beer nerd.

Poor tasting American lagers from the tap can usually be traced to dirty lines or tavern heads. Poor tasting micros are usually due to an improperly cleaned keg. Don't worry, the nastiness can't really hurt you, no known pathogen can survive in beer.

Good beer from microbreweries or Europe are much more flavorful on tap, usually because the bottled/canned counterpart is filtered more than the tap beer. They have to do this because bottling/cannig is an imperfect container. Cans are a far superior container for beer than bottles, less oxygen and zero light pollution. Ask just about any Budweiser drinker though, and they'll tell you that the bottled beer is "better" than the canned beer. No one ever accused bud drinkers of having taste though.

And I can't wait for the flames on this one but I'll go out on a limb here:
Pabst Blue Ribbon is far and away the best of the piss-yellow beers. It actually has body and flavor, very surprising for a beer made with rice and corn (very little grain in it). The product consistency is also quite odd, seeing as PBR doesn't actually own a brewhouse, they just contract brew through AB, Coors, etc.

Don't forget guys: fizzy yellow beer is for wussies... might as well have a Zima, chicks dig it. heh.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

[ QUOTE ]
And I can't wait for the flames on this one but I'll go out on a limb here:
Pabst Blue Ribbon is far and away the best of the piss-yellow beers. It actually has body and flavor, very surprising for a beer made with rice and corn (very little grain in it). The product consistency is also quite odd, seeing as PBR doesn't actually own a brewhouse, they just contract brew through AB, Coors, etc.

[/ QUOTE ]

Gotta agree that PBR is the best of the American lagers (OK, piss-beers if you will...). Used to be made right in Milwaukee -- the "new" PBR uses the same recipe and with good quality control. We bought a couple of cases of PBR long necks last summer on a trip to Wisconsin, and savored them like fine wine all winterlong. Nah, just kiddin about the savoring part. We tried to wait but drank the sh*t out of them as soon as we could.

Wifey-dear loves PBR, and you know what they say: "Beer is good for a guy... when your girl is drinking it!"

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

Tip, the line needs to always go UP out of the keg. You will get bubbles trapped int he line otherwise. Then when you push it out you get BEER->FOAM_EJECTA->FOAMY_BEER.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Am I the only one that thinks tap beer tastes awful compared to its bottled counterpart?

[/ QUOTE ]

bahahaha-hohohoh-heheheheheh-hahahahaha.... thanks man! I needed a good laugh.

Seriously though, you must be referring to "Keystone Light" or something, because no REAL bear comes out of a bottle. Sure, lots of micros and imports are bottled but actual, real beer is hardly carbonated, hand pumped out of the keg and isn't kept under pressure... there's just enough nitrogen on top to keep the oxygen off of it. Yes, I'm a beer nerd.

Poor tasting American lagers from the tap can usually be traced to dirty lines or tavern heads. Poor tasting micros are usually due to an improperly cleaned keg. Don't worry, the nastiness can't really hurt you, no known pathogen can survive in beer.

Good beer from microbreweries or Europe are much more flavorful on tap, usually because the bottled/canned counterpart is filtered more than the tap beer. They have to do this because bottling/cannig is an imperfect container. Cans are a far superior container for beer than bottles, less oxygen and zero light pollution. Ask just about any Budweiser drinker though, and they'll tell you that the bottled beer is "better" than the canned beer. No one ever accused bud drinkers of having taste though.

And I can't wait for the flames on this one but I'll go out on a limb here:
Pabst Blue Ribbon is far and away the best of the piss-yellow beers. It actually has body and flavor, very surprising for a beer made with rice and corn (very little grain in it). The product consistency is also quite odd, seeing as PBR doesn't actually own a brewhouse, they just contract brew through AB, Coors, etc.

Don't forget guys: fizzy yellow beer is for wussies... might as well have a Zima, chicks dig it. heh.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just passing through, but out of curiosity...have you ever had anything from New Holland Brewery and what do you think of their beer if you have?

It's owned by a couple of old college buddies.

P.S. PBR is goot, yes. Huber Bock has always been the best of the best cheapass last 10 bucks I got beers though. Huber is [censored] pisswater, but somehow they managed to do it right with Huber Bock. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

Nope, never had New Holland, GL to them, the micro industry is in fairly sad shape now.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

I'm a brewer as well as a poker player. I converted an old fridge into a kegerator a couple of months ago. After buying all the different parts and assembling it, I realized that it's probably only slightly more expensive to buy one than it is to build one if you factor in the cost of an old fridge...

As for cleaning the tap lines and faucets, it's a pretty simple task, nothing to get worked up over. The faucets unscrew off the shank and you can disassemble and soak, and the lines can be back flushed with the same sanitizer.

You can keep a keg on tap for a long, long time because you are pushing the beer with CO2 instead of air with the hand pumps. Since it is refridgerated and not exposed to air, it will last for months at least.

Here is a good link for you: http://www.morebeer.com/browse.html?...mp;x=1&y=1

They also sell complete kegerators, although their models are top of the line type. I've seen $450 or so ones at Costco...

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

Beer in a keg with CO2 will last plenty long enough (several weeks/months)

Cleaning the lines and faucet is a breeze.

I converted an old fridge into a kegerator and I'm very glad that I did. With the added fridge and freezer space, even the wife likes having the kegerator.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

[ QUOTE ]

Gotta agree that PBR is the best of the American lagers (OK, piss-beers if you will...).

[/ QUOTE ]

What do you think of Yuengling?

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

Gotta agree that PBR is the best of the American lagers (OK, piss-beers if you will...).

[/ QUOTE ]

What do you think of Yuengling?

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry, I should have said best of the mainstream beers. I meant the commercially-available store-bought beers. There are certainly lots of good small-brewery lagers out there.

As far as Yuengling, I can't comment because I haven't tried it.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]

Gotta agree that PBR is the best of the American lagers (OK, piss-beers if you will...).

[/ QUOTE ]

What do you think of Yuengling?

[/ QUOTE ]

I would have to say that this is probably the best non-micro beer made in America. To bad I can't get it in Kansas. Damn I miss Philly.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

Have you guys ever been to beeradvocate.com? Great site a buddy of mine turned me on to a couple of months ago. They have reviews of just about any beer you have ever heard of or seen.

Gojacketz

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

[ QUOTE ]
What do you think of Yuengling?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's my favorite cheap beer, but I may be biased since I'm from PA too.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

Before you accuse of repeating, I skipped reading everything...

I had a kegorator in my dorm room this whole year and it was awesome. One of the guys built it from an old fridge and a conversion kit. All the problems we thought we'd have with it (cleaning, replacing the CO2 frequently, etc) turned out to not be a big deal at all. We did spend a lot on beer, and our friends did mooch off us all year, but it was worth it just to have cold beer on tap. I say go for it.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What do you think of Yuengling?

[/ QUOTE ]

It's my favorite cheap beer, but I may be biased since I'm from PA too.

[/ QUOTE ]

The nice thing is, Yuengling is starting to become more available along the east coast. I recently had it in NC and SC, and I know Tampa has it, too.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

heh, thinking about it now... if I could make a bill acceptor+keypad that would dispense 12+oz of beer and shut the line back off I would not only be a rich man but would be idolized by legions of college students.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

Back when I made my first kegerator, I found a page an engineering student made that did just that. He got the proper electronics, attached a piece of sheet metal to the door, attached the coin acceptor thingy to the sheet metal, and was able to set the amount of time it would dispense for how much you plugged into it. It looked cool in a "huh, that's neat" kind of way, but was way too complicated for anyone other than a bored engineer.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

[ QUOTE ]





This is what I got But I got the CO2 tank from the local CO2 supplier for a small deposit.



[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for that link, that site is awesome. I will be buying some stuff from there [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

If you're going to get a kegerator, like several here, I'm going to suggest you go one of two routes:

Convert an old fridge or buy a used pro unit.

Converting an old used fridge is probably the cheapest. You'll even find people giving away their old used ones if you'll just haul it away. Two tricks to remember are:

1. Measure (and measure again). 1. Make sure it'll hold a 1/2 barrel (i.e standard) keg. Some people only want 1/4 (i.e pony) kegs but if you're going to do this flexibility is key. If it'll hold a 1/2 it'll hold a 1/4 and 1/6.

2. I'd also drill the shank through the door. There's too much chance of hitting a refrigerant line in the sides. If you ruin the lines you have just bought a large, heavy, useless box.

The downside of the full size fridge conversion is they are a bitch to move. I see these for sale all the time mostly because someone is moving and these things are such a bear to deal with.

Get a used pro unit is the more expensive option, but in some ways I feel is better. Units by Beverage-Air (sometimes labled "Superior"), True, Perlick, or Continental can cost well over $1K new but if you're patient you'll come across them in the $500-600 range. I just got an old Bev-Air BM23 for $450. It need new lines and I added a two tap tower but it works a treat. I saw another one only a year old for $600. These will hold either one 1/2 keg or 2-4 1/6 kegs. The towers are cooled so you don't get foaming for the first beers evertime. They also keep temperature more consistantly. In addition they always have wheels and are very easy to move. There's are reason you don't see these used for sale as often as other units, people keep 'em (or bars buy 'em).

The units you see from Haier, Sanyo, Summmit, and Danby are usually in the $500-600 range new but the towers aren't cooled and they can have freezing issues. Haier (always at Bestbuy) in particular has a pretty bad rap (check Amazon.com). Sanyo or Summit seem ok if you're willing to put up with a bit of foaming for first pours or when the unit sits for a bit. Frididaire was just come out with a good looking new unit where the shank is right in the door so that eliminates that problem. There's even space for other storage. They're a bit pricey and I've not seen any reviews on them as they are so new but they seem like they'd be good.

In the end it doesn't matter how good your equipment is if you don't keep it clean. Every two weeks or so, or at least at every keg change clean the lines, faucet, and coupler (people always forget the coupler).

For equipment for conversion or new units I prefer micromatic.com they're knowledgeable (draft beer is all they do), friendly, and fast. I've heard good things about beveragefactory.com too.

On the issue of draft versus bottle, in the US draft beer is not pasteurized which is one of the main reasons it tastes better than bottled. Unfortunately all imported beer is pasteurized but you still can find some damned fine brews.

Re: For the Poker Room.... BEER
 

[ QUOTE ]

Poker table is done [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

Racetrack design...suited casino cloth.

Soon as a get a decent camera I'll get the pics up.

Sarge[img]/images/graemlins/diamond.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

http://webpages.charter.net/mandtanderson/matts.jpg
http://webpages.charter.net/mandtanderson/matts.jpg