I would like to know what steps to take in installing a keg in a private home. My idea was to install it in a kitchen island counter. I don’t have the island counter yet. I could build one (though I’m no carpenter, so that’s the last resort) or I could buy one. I’ve seen generic keg/fridge dispensers available at Walmart and Sears, however this will be for my future home in Australia. Plus, I would like an affordable version of the taps you see in a bar. Would calling Foster’s be an idea? Or would it be better to contact Bar/Restaurant suppliers? Any other caveats I might not be thinking of? Special draining or electrical requirements?
This was meant to go in General Questions. Could a mod please switch that over, when you get a chance? Thanks.
Buy one of those dorm sized refrigerators. Make the necessary holes. Enjoy.
This might be a good place to start (there’s polka music playing on that link, so turn your sound down).
Perhaps you can build your bar around that. You could also check here for something that will suit your needs.
Thanks … both of those sites are great starter points. And I see I’m not the only one who’s looking into this kind of thing for home use!
Many years ago, in blue-collar cities like Buffalo and Cleveland, television ads would often pitch a marvelous product called the Beermeister. The Beermeister was a refrigerator, but designed for beer kegs. The commercials would show the Beermeister sitting in some steelworker’s wood-paneled living room; as he pulled the tap and took a draw, his face would light up. Cut to scene of him sitting in his recliner, sipping his beer, and nodding in approvement.
We all swore as kids that someday, we’d have a Beermeister in our living rooms too. Unfortunately, in the era of microbrews, when you can get hundreds of different beers in a Buffalo or Cleveland supermarket, a Beermeister would deprive us of the opportunity to try such fascinating brews as Old Leghumper, Messiah Bold or Arrogant Bastard Ale.
There might still be some Beermeisters around; I’d check your local classified ad rag. There’s usually a few for sale on eBay.
Here’s a Web site about how to make your own Beermeister.
You know, a keg is a lot of beer and beer doesn’t stay fresh forever. Not that I don’t think my fellow Dopers can swill with the best of them, but take into consideration that you are going to have to have quite a few parties, or have a waist size of about 84" to make it worthwhile to always have a fresh keg on tap.
well being a university student I’ll see what I can suggest.
I have a friend who gutted a older fridge and turned it into a keg fridge, try googleing for advice on how to do this, it’s likely cheeper (and more fun) then buying a prebuilt unit. The key part to insure quality over the long term via a CO2 unit, this keeps the keg fresh and tasty, for at least a month at a time, ( While YMMV we normally easily finish a keg a month at his place, and it always tastes good) I will attempt to get said friend away from the tap to get a specific link for how he built his, but it did not seem that complex.
I’ve been trying to stay out of this one, but, y’know, not only is a keg one hell of a lot of beer for one home, but you might have a talk with your local tavern owner before making this fantasy into a reality. It isn’t all foam and hangovers, keeping a keg on tap. Keeping it cold is the easy part. Ask the barman or barwoman about how often the local health laws require that they have the lines cleaned, for example, to make sure that nobody gets sick. If you go with a CO2 system, you have pressurization issues and gas to buy, and if you go cheap with a modified 'fridge and a hand pump your beer will go flat in no time and the tap will be a nightmare that even the CDC will disown inside of a month. Just keeping the delivery system clean enough usually outruns any advantages of the ‘one man -one keg’ proposition. Looks good on paper, but like most noble propositions it is generally more work than it is worth.
Gairloch
Go Homebrew Adventures’ forums. It’s a homebrewer’s forum and many of them have set up kegging and tap systems in their homes. It’s actually quite simple. Just go to the “Beer” forum and ask (you might have to set up an account), all of the regulars would probably be happy to help. Lots of great information there. You might also try Northernbrewer as well, a lot of the same guys.
Pebs