My little keezer...

[shadow160]

My keezer project is underway. It stated as my ferm chamber for my first two brews but quickly changed when it was time to keg them.

I went for functional first, and will continue to work on it as I drink my home brews

For now it has 4 kegs sitting in it connected with picnic taps. The collar will be the next addition then the shanks and taps will be added. It is nothing special at the moment but it sure is keeping my kegs cold.

 

[ahawk]

Congrats, looking good. I've only got two brews behind me, but also have a keezer. Bought it thinking that I would install it in an open shed in my garden, with a lock on the lid and picnic taps inside. Then I decided to take it inside and make a collar with regular taps. That I have not regretted.

 

[shadow160]

Still deciding if I am going to leave it as a stand alone or build it into a bar.

 

[Totally]

Exactly the way I am hoping to start! Looking a little smaller for just two kegs but will likely start with a picnic tap kit. Great work.

 

[mongoose33]

Exactly the way I am hoping to start! Looking a little smaller for just two kegs but will likely start with a picnic tap kit. Great work.

Let me urge you to rethink this.

Just like buying a safe for firearms, the rule should be "Buy the next size larger than you think you need."

Inevitably, you'll end up in one or more of these places:

• This works well; I wish I had more capacity
• I really wish I could cold crash in the same keezer
• I really wish I could force-carbonate cold.
• I really wish....

I thought mine was large enough--I have capacity for 7 kegs--and even that's not enough, not if I have a keg in reserve for two or three brews. I have four taps on mine, and right now I have six beers either in kegs or ready to come out of the fermenter. I'll bottle the rest of one keg to get it out of the keezer, and put in the other two, which will leave me 5 different beers, four on keezer taps and one dispensed with a picnic tap. I originally thought a capacity of 5 was more than enough. Now, a capacity of 7 is less than I wish I had.

As time goes on, you'll become....sensitized, I suppose is the word, to what a deal is on kegs, regulators, and so on. Craigslist is full of such deals and you'll find them here on HTB from time to time.

Or you'll be lucky as I was, when a friend had an old 10# CO2 tank and regulator he wasn't using any more. He offered them to me if I'd buy him lunch when he visited. Well. The keg was out of certification; it cost me $41 to certify it *and* fill it, and suddenly I had a system where I could force carbonate out of one tank while the other served my keezer. So for the cost of lunch and maybe $49 total I had a 10# tank, filled, and a regulator which works great.

Know what things cost new and used so that when a deal surfaces you'll know it, and can pounce. You can then sell it off when and if you get something better.

Anyway, if you think you need one with capacity for two kegs, consider one that can handle 5 or 7 kegs.

My 2 cents, YMMV, keep your options open, and welcome to the world of keezers and kegging.

 

[woo_pig]

Let me urge you to rethink this.

Just like buying a safe for firearms, the rule should be "Buy the next size larger than you think you need."

Inevitably, you'll end up in one or more of these places:

• This works well; I wish I had more capacity
• I really wish I could cold crash in the same keezer
• I really wish I could force-carbonate cold.
• I really wish....

I thought mine was large enough--I have capacity for 7 kegs--and even that's not enough, not if I have a keg in reserve for two or three brews. I have four taps on mine, and right now I have six beers either in kegs or ready to come out of the fermenter. I'll bottle the rest of one keg to get it out of the keezer, and put in the other two, which will leave me 5 different beers, four on keezer taps and one dispensed with a picnic tap. I originally thought a capacity of 5 was more than enough. Now, a capacity of 7 is less than I wish I had.

As time goes on, you'll become....sensitized, I suppose is the word, to what a deal is on kegs, regulators, and so on. Craigslist is full of such deals and you'll find them here on HTB from time to time.

Or you'll be lucky as I was, when a friend had an old 10# CO2 tank and regulator he wasn't using any more. He offered them to me if I'd buy him lunch when he visited. Well. The keg was out of certification; it cost me $41 to certify it *and* fill it, and suddenly I had a system where I could force carbonate out of one tank while the other served my keezer. So for the cost of lunch and maybe $49 total I had a 10# tank, filled, and a regulator which works great.

Know what things cost new and used so that when a deal surfaces you'll know it, and can pounce. You can then sell it off when and if you get something better.

Anyway, if you think you need one with capacity for two kegs, consider one that can handle 5 or 7 kegs.

My 2 cents, YMMV, keep your options open, and welcome to the world of keezers and kegging.

One good thing with buying a small freezer at first. You can always change it into a ferm chamber when he decides to go bigger. But I do agree with always getting more than what you need.

 

[shadow160]

I bought a big new freezer so I could repurpose the old one into the keezer, I should have capacity for 10 kegs with two on the hump.

I agree go bigger, I already have 4 kegs in there and still have a couple of things I want to add.

1) Chocolate Milk Stout
2) Irish Red
3) Apfelwein
4) Hard Lemonade

 

[IslandLizard]

One good thing with buying a small freezer at first. You can always change it into a ferm chamber when he decides to go bigger. But I do agree with always getting more than what you need.

A ferm chamber should have enough room for 2 fermentors at least. 3 or 4 is better when you like to brew back to back like I do.

 

[woo_pig]

A ferm chamber should have enough room for 2 fermentors at least. 3 or 4 is better when you like to brew back to back like I do.

I do 10 gallon batches and spilt it two different yeast so sometimes I need two different temps. And I'm pretty sure you can get 3 carboys in there. Maybe 4 if you build a collar and level the hump out.

 

[Totally]

Let me urge you to rethink this.

--cut--

My 2 cents, YMMV, keep your options open, and welcome to the world of keezers and kegging.

Thank you, this was very insightful and I am rethinking the size of my freezer now.

Looking at a Frigidaire 7.2 FFFC07M1QW, from the forums looks like people can get 4 kegs and a co2 tank in there (5 with a taller collar). Also looks like im going to go with taps from the start as well.

Looking forward to the build.

 

[skraeling]

Thank you, this was very insightful and I am rethinking the size of my freezer now.



Looking at a Frigidaire 7.2 FFFC07M1QW, from the forums looks like people can get 4 kegs and a co2 tank in there (5 with a taller collar). Also looks like im going to go with taps from the start as well.



Looking forward to the build.

That's the exact model I'll be basing mine off as well. I'll be sure to bookmark your thread to see how yours is coming along!