New to Kegging... Great ideas...

[AWKBrewing13]

Hey guys Im new to kegging and have a couple ideas.

Im trying to save money and also build a sweet setup.

FIRST what do you guys think of this setup for the money?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004WMK28W/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

SECOND My plan is take a small freezer I have and make a 3 keg freezer. Two will be for be and the third will be for a rotating cider or cider beer. Im going to build oak around the freezer to give it a polished look like a nice piece of furniture. With the kit posted above I will attached the tower to the top of the freezer. For the cider I will be purchasing a plastic faucet (acidity worries) and building an oak tower the faucet will attach to that will make it look nice but also differentiate the cider from the beer. So I will get a whole different single keg kit for the cider so it has its own regulator. The beer will have to do with the same pressure for both so I will have to run a happy medium.

Thoughts you guys? I know in the kit I will be needing kegs so i was going to try and get some from northern brewing since I can get it for $8 flat rate shipping.

 

[erikpete18]

The kit you linked to doesn't look bad for the price, but I've got a few suggestions that might help you out. One, that one looks like its for ball lock kegs. If you're trying to save some cash and haven't bought any kegs yet, pin lock have been quite a bit cheaper recently so you may want to look at a pin-lock set instead. (Pin locks are a little shorter and fatter than ball locks so take that into account for your freezer plans and there are some pin-lock kegs that have been converted to ball-lock posts for cheaper prices if that interest you.)

Second, the faucets that come with that tower are your standard beer faucets, which will certainly serve beer. However, if you've got the cash available I'd suggest going through a company that will upgrade them to perlicks for you. I've got the standard faucets now and am just waiting to move somewhere else so I can upgrade them to perlicks. The standard ones tend to stick if you aren't using them daily and require a little more cleaning to the tips of the taps, where the perlicks don't have any of those problems. Check out a place like Kegconnection or Keg Cowboy, they've both got lots of kits available for the same or better prices than the amazon one.

To answer your second plan, I like the idea of the oak covering! Check the DIY section since I think there can be some walls that need airflow around to cool so you might not want to completely in case in oak, but I've seen several that look like what you are describing in there. If you're not attached to setting up a completely separate kit for the cider, there are other options. For instance, get a dual-body regulator like this one. That way you can use the same CO2 tank and run your cider and beer at two different carb levels. Could even get a three body if you wanted the option to have two different beer levels.

I'm also not certain that a plastic faucet is your only option. As far as I know, the main concern with cider in faucets is eating away at the chrome shanks and faucets. However, if you were to get stainless shanks and faucets, I'd think you would be ok. It sounds like you are planning on dedicating a line to this, so any flavor issues sticking around in the plastic won't be a problem. If you did that, you could even get a three-faucet tower and have all three together, just stick a differentiating handle on the cider tap.

Finally, make sure you update with pics when you get started on the build !

 

[AWKBrewing13]

since im about to move out it will be a bit before starting and a while longer for completion. I hope that it will be completely before Christmas.

I looked at another post about setting up a first kegerator. A lot of guys suggested the keg connection. I do like the ball lock kegs better. What do you think of the this??

http://stores.kegconnection.com/Detail.bok?no=467

I like the idea of the separate regulator. I think when i go cider i will still build a second tower with stainless but use an extended regulator for it. thanks

 

[Rick91981]

You can't go wrong with Keg Connection. It looks like they might be slightly more expensive than Beverage Factory, but they will work with you if you want to customize it as far as additions/upgrades to the setup. I highly recommend upgrading to Perlicks.

 

[AWKBrewing13]

This is the setup with beverage factory... Shipping is more but because they are cheaper it almost evens out. http://www.beveragefactory.com/shopping_cart_08-25-2011.php

and with beverage factory I get a drip tray with it.

 

[AWKBrewing13]

what do you guys think about using thin wood or wood laminate and glueing it to the case of the freezer and the top of the freezer?

 

[Hoppopotomus]

I'm in the ventilated airspace camp on this one. Although thin veneers or wood laminates are not expectionally high in R value and the heat in theory should still be able to permeate through, I am not a fan of taking that risk. Some guys leave an airspace and use computer fans to cirulate air around the skin of the unit. I simply framed an oversized cabinet and vented it to allow heat to escape. Has worked like a charm. Check out my keezer thread and you will see what I mean. Let me know if I can help with any questions or ideas for your build. Good luck!

Oh...one more think. The guys at KegConnection.com are great. I just ordered another Perlick faucet, beer hose, etc. Their flat rate shipping equals out the slightly lower price that some of the other offer and they will work with you to customize whatever you want.

 

[AWKBrewing13]

After just moving to my apartment I realize I will be still having a few white walls so I will be leaving it white for now. I was going to make the "shelf" or riser and drill out 3-4 equally spaced holes for the taps. I will be starting with 2 for now since that was all I could afford now. I did not get perlick faucets because again I couldnt afford it but I will replace the other ones I have now eventually and build a draft box with those faucets.

Are there guides or sticky threads for build the riser for the Keezer?